Kerry wraps up whirlwind visit, due back Wednesday
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Washington's top diplomat wrapped up a lightning Israel visit Tuesday but was expected to return within 24 hours as speculation grew a jailed US-Israeli spy could be key to saving peace talks.
After flying in from Paris on Monday evening, US Secretary of State John Kerry met for two hours with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, before entering talks with Palestinian negotiators at his Jerusalem hotel.
Early on Tuesday, he held a second two-hour meeting with Netanyahu, with sources close to the talks saying they discussed a deal to free Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard as a way of breaking the log-jam in the negotiations.
US peace efforts are teetering on the brink of collapse after Israel refused to free a fourth and final group of 26 veteran Palestinian prisoners which would have completed an agreement that brought the sides back to the negotiating table in July 2013.
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