High-Ranked US Officials to Visit ’Israel’ amidst Palestinian Uprising

Local Editor

In an attempt to calm the "Israeli" wrath from the Palestinian uprising, US secretary of state John Kerry said on Tuesday that he plans to visit the Occupied Palestinian territories.

The trip would mark Kerry's most direct efforts to broker peace between the two sides since talks led by the United States failed last year.

"I will go there soon, at some point appropriately, and try to work to reengage and see if we can't move that away from this precipice," Kerry told an audience at an event sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Kerry said the United States' goal for the region "could conceivably be stolen from everybody" if violence were to spiral out of control.

In a press conference on Tuesday following his meeting with Australian counterpart, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Kerry called the situation in the "Israeli"-occupied Palestinian territories too volatile and stressed what he called the importance of all people to avoid what he called provocative statements that can inflame tensions further.

"This violence and any incitement to violence has got to stop," he said.

Kerry said he spoke with Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas and "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend to stress his concerns.

Separately, General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, will visit the annexed Palestinian territories next week for the first time and will likely discuss security cooperation, "Israeli" media Yedioth Ahronoth revealed on Tuesday.

The visit was scheduled against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Syria and Russia's entry into the fray, as well as the Iran nuclear agreement.

One of the goals of Dunford's visit will be to discuss strategy and security cooperation between "Israel" and the US, which has come under the shadow of ongoing political tensions.

Two practical concerns are likely to be at the heart of discussions. The first revolves around formulating policy in light of Russia's entry into the Syrian conflict and its support for President Bashar al-Assad, a move that has dramatically affected the "Israeli" troops' freedom to operate in this theater.

In spite of meetings between the "Israeli" forces' Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan and his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Bogdanovski, the "Israelis" fear that Hizbullah may receive weapons via Syria.

Additionally, the Russians are reinforcing the Iran-Syria axis, which is likely to become a problem for "Israel".

The second issue, and perhaps the more critical one, is the formulation of an American aid package to "Israel" that is expected to include additional funds of $1.3 million. The "Israeli" apartheid regime requested to uphold the principle of military superiority over the Arab states, which is currently being worn away by the Gulf States.

This part of the aid package would include significant strengthening of the "Israel" Air Force with additional F-35 jets, on top of what the US has already committed to provide. Other additional elements would include supplementary funding for developing protective systems and precision weaponry.

The additional equipment is intended to ensure that "Israel" can manage simultaneous wars on two fronts - south and north - if needed.

If the US agrees to expand its aid package - or alternatively to provide oil grants - it is expected to demand assurances from Netanyahu that "Israel" will not conduct military activities without American knowledge.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team