Kerry returns to the US without an agreement between Israel and Palestine.

From Agência Brasil*

Brasilia - US Secretary of State John Kerry returns to the United States on Monday, June 6th, without having reached an agreement between Israel and Palestine. Kerry traveled to the Middle East in an attempt to mediate the beginning of reconciliation between the parties and met with Israeli politicians, such as Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog.

The contact between Israelis and Palestinians, mediated by the secretary, revolves around the status of the Jordan Valley, on the border between Israel and Jordan, in the eastern West Bank. Israel wants to intensify the presence of security forces in the region; Palestine vehemently opposes the presence of Israeli forces in areas that could eventually become part of a Palestinian state, which is seen as damaging to its sovereignty.

According to the Palestinians, Israel maintains plans to establish settlements in areas of Palestine, which is causing a collapse of previous rounds of negotiations. Another point of contention is the recent announcement of a plan to annex the Jordan Valley by Israel, which still depends on the approval of the Israeli Parliament.

Yesterday (5), John Kerry said that any peace agreement between the parties would be "fair and balanced" and that the leaders of both sides would have to make important decisions to move forward.

In October, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the announcement of new Israeli settlement plans in the West Bank, saying the move was contrary to international law and an obstacle to peace in the region.

Negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis resumed in mid-2013 after a three-year hiatus. The US Secretary of State, who has been trying to mediate an agreement, has visited the region ten times since taking office in February 2013. The deadline for the parties to reach an agreement is April of this year.

*With information from the Chinese news agency Xinhua.