U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, listening as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes a statement during a press conference before their talk at the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem, Jan. 2, 2014. (Brendan Smialowski/AP Images)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Israel for the first time in over a year, Israeli news outlets are reporting.
Kerry reportedly will arrive in Israel on Monday and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the following day. He also will meet on Tuesday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to reports.
The State Department did not confirm the news of the visit to JTA. The visit was first reported by Israel’s Channel 2.
Frank Lowenstein, the U.S. envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, will arrive in Israel ahead of Kerry’s visit to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Haaretz reported Thursday.
On Nov. 9, Netanyahu met at the White House with President Barack Obama and recommitted Israel to negotiating a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
