Kerry to discuss security assessment with Israel PM

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (R) with US Secretary of State John Kerry US Secretary of State John Kerry will discuss with Benjamin Netanyahu the latest US views on Israeli security when he meets the Israeli premier on Thursday, US officials said. Kerry will be accompanied by defence department Middle East adviser General John Allen, who has been working for several months with Israeli counterparts on security questions, the State Department officials said in Moldova, where Kerry was on Wednesday.
The discussions, which will also touch on a landmark deal, bitterly opposed by Israel, which world powers reached with Iran over its nuclear programme, come as direct peace talks with the Palestinians enter their fifth month.
Kerry and Allen "will be providing an update on their evaluation of Israel?s security," one of the officials said. "The secretary is devoting certainly a fair amount of time to this effort" and "working closely with General Allen and his team on that."
The official made clear that Allen has been working closely with Israeli defence officials for months, but that "this will be a higher-level update than he?s done previously."
An article in Israeli daily Haaretz on Wednesday had said Kerry would concentrate on security issues, which are of crucial concern to both the United States and Israel.
In particular, Netanyahu wants any future Palestinian state to be demilitarised and to ensure that the Israelis keep a military presence along the border with Jordan.
"The Americans have concluded that Netanyahu will not agree to move forward on other elements (of a peace deal) such as the borders of a future Palestinian state without an arrangement on security," the newspaper said.
Moreover, Netanyahu's stance on security has toughened since the interim nuclear deal with Iran, which he strongly criticised as being dangerous.
Haaretz said Kerry would discuss with the Israeli premier the negotiations that will be held with Iran to reach a final and definitive accord on its nuclear programme.
Source: AFP