Middle East Peace Deal

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Saturday received a telephone call from Israel's new President Isaac Herzog and they discussed Middle East peace efforts, state-run Petra news agency said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that a trio of normalisation accords with Arab states offered an end to the Jewish state's former geographic isolation, with shorter and cheaper flights.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that "five or six" more Arab countries were poised to agree to normalize relations with Israel, in line with the landmark accords struck between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic Palestine visit, President Mahmoud Abbas said he will discuss with him India's role in the Middle East peace process and the creation of a multilateral forum of negotiations to strike a final deal with Israel.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Israel today on the second leg of his first overseas trip since entering office and said he had new reasons to hope for peace and stability to the Middle East after his visit to Saudi Arabia.

It sounds far-fetched at best: holding a Mideast peace conference without Israelis, Palestinians or the incoming US government.

President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he would "love" to clinch a deal to end the intractable conflict between Israel and the Palestinians despite the checkered history of US attempts to broker a Middle East peace.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday slammed France's diplomatic plan for an international conference on Middle East peace with recognition of a Palestinian state if talks fail.

Hundreds of innocent people have been killed in spectacular attacks claimed by Islamic State militants from Syria, but diplomats say major powers are no closer to a peace deal to end nearly five years of bloodshed and chaos there.

The Saudi government on Monday said it hopes a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers can bolster Middle East peace and end interference in Arab affairs.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Thursday the framework Iran nuclear deal, saying it will help bolster peace and stability in the Middle East.

US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that his disagreement with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over how to pursue a Middle East peace deal was substantive, not personal.

US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Sunday for a renewed commitment to achieving Middle East peace, saying a lasting deal between Israel, the Palestinians and all their neighbours could be achieved.

Efforts to reach an Israel-Palestinian peace deal may need to be extended for another year, if parties agree on key issues by the time the current round of talks wraps up in April.

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal assured visiting Secretary of State John Kerry Monday there is no problem with the United States, saying "our two friendly countries" are busy dealing with troublesome issues like Syria, Iran and the Mideast peace process.

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Saturday received a telephone call from Israel's new President Isaac Herzog and they discussed Middle East peace efforts, state-run Petra news agency said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that a trio of normalisation accords with Arab states offered an end to the Jewish state's former geographic isolation, with shorter and cheaper flights.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that "five or six" more Arab countries were poised to agree to normalize relations with Israel, in line with the landmark accords struck between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic Palestine visit, President Mahmoud Abbas said he will discuss with him India's role in the Middle East peace process and the creation of a multilateral forum of negotiations to strike a final deal with Israel.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Israel today on the second leg of his first overseas trip since entering office and said he had new reasons to hope for peace and stability to the Middle East after his visit to Saudi Arabia.

It sounds far-fetched at best: holding a Mideast peace conference without Israelis, Palestinians or the incoming US government.

President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he would "love" to clinch a deal to end the intractable conflict between Israel and the Palestinians despite the checkered history of US attempts to broker a Middle East peace.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday slammed France's diplomatic plan for an international conference on Middle East peace with recognition of a Palestinian state if talks fail.

Hundreds of innocent people have been killed in spectacular attacks claimed by Islamic State militants from Syria, but diplomats say major powers are no closer to a peace deal to end nearly five years of bloodshed and chaos there.

The Saudi government on Monday said it hopes a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers can bolster Middle East peace and end interference in Arab affairs.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Thursday the framework Iran nuclear deal, saying it will help bolster peace and stability in the Middle East.

US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that his disagreement with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over how to pursue a Middle East peace deal was substantive, not personal.

US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Sunday for a renewed commitment to achieving Middle East peace, saying a lasting deal between Israel, the Palestinians and all their neighbours could be achieved.

Efforts to reach an Israel-Palestinian peace deal may need to be extended for another year, if parties agree on key issues by the time the current round of talks wraps up in April.

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal assured visiting Secretary of State John Kerry Monday there is no problem with the United States, saying "our two friendly countries" are busy dealing with troublesome issues like Syria, Iran and the Mideast peace process.