Kerry says US "will never give up" commitment to peace as Israel suspends Mideast talks

WASHINGTON, April 24 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday that he remains committed to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, only hours after Israel withdrew from the US-brokered talks following a landmark unity deal between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.
Israel considers Hamas, the governing party in Gaza, to be a terrorist organization.
"We will never give up our hope or our commitment for the possibilities of peace," Kerry said during a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart here. "We believe it is the only way to go, but right now obviously it's at a very difficult point, and the leaders themselves have to make decisions." "It's up to them," he added. "There's always a way forward, but the leaders have to make the compromises to do that." "If they're not willing to make the compromises necessary it becomes very elusive." State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki again stressed that both sides have taken actions that are "unhelpful" to the process that Kerry began almost nine months ago.
She also said the April 29 deadline to establish a framework for negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians still stands. (end) ys.sd