Quds, Ramadan 11, 1434, Jul 20, 2013, SPA -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Israel and the Palestinians had laid the groundwork to resume talks after an almost three-year stalemate, but that the deal was not final and required more diplomacy, Reuters reported. Remarks made on Saturday by Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steintiz suggest the sides still face major stumbling blocks before negotiations can resume, however. Yaalon said in a statement that Israel "had insisted it would enter negotiations with no preconditions which included the Palestinian demand on the 1967 borders ... and that is exactly what is happening now." The Palestinians say the talks must be about establishing a future state in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, with borders approximating the boundaries that existed before Israel captured those territories in a 1967 war. Steinitz said there had been no Israeli concession on that point nor on the Palestinian demand that Israel halt all construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Al-Quds. -- SPA 21:13 LOCAL TIME 18:13 GMT تغريد
