Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister turned down a regional peace initiative last year that was brokered by then-American Secretary of State John Kerry, according to former U.S. officials.
The officials confirm that Netanyahu took part in a secret summit that Kerry organized in the southern Jordanian port city of Aqaba (AH'-kah-bah) last February and included Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. The secret meeting was first reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
According to two former Obama administration officials, Kerry proposed regional recognition of Israel as a Jewish state — a key Netanyahu demand — alongside a renewal of peace talks with the Palestinians with the support of the Arab countries.
The officials say Netanyahu rejected the offer, which would have required a significant pullout from occupied land, saying he wouldn't be able to garner enough support for it in his hardline coalition government.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
