Abbas to meet Zionist Kerry in coming days

President Mahmoud Abbas will meet US Secretary of State John Kerry within the next two days, the Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister said Sunday.
“The president will meet Kerry either in Ramallah or Jordan,” Riyad al-Malki told Ma’an. “There seems to be no response from Israel to the efforts of the US Secretary of State.”

Abbas will discuss the latest developments in the peace process with Kerry, the PA official said.

Al-Malki is due to attend a donor conference on Tuesday in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to discuss a proposed $500 million package to develop Jerusalem, the official added.

Foreign ministers from member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are expected to attend the meeting.

In February, Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani called for a $1 billion fund for Palestinians in Jerusalem during the opening session of the Arab Summit.

President Abbas said last week that he wants to return to negotiations “as soon as possible,” while PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestinians were making “every possible effort” to help Kerry succeed in bringing the two sides to the table.