Former US Secretary of State Kerry Asks Abbas to Propose ‘Reasonable’ Peace Plan

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets then US Secretary of State John Kerry in the West Bank city of Ramallah in 2015. (Reuters)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets then US Secretary of State John Kerry in the West Bank city of Ramallah in 2015. (Reuters)
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Former US Secretary of State Kerry Asks Abbas to Propose ‘Reasonable’ Peace Plan

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets then US Secretary of State John Kerry in the West Bank city of Ramallah in 2015. (Reuters)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets then US Secretary of State John Kerry in the West Bank city of Ramallah in 2015. (Reuters)

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to propose a “reasonable” peace plan, vowing to exert efforts to garner international support for it.

His comments came during a London discussion about the Middle East peace process with Hussein Agha, a Lebanese academic who is close to Abbas, reported the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv.

Kerry, 74, said his advanced age would not hinder him from running for the presidency once again, urging Agha to tell Abbas to “stay strong” and “play for time” while President Donald Trump is in office. It was reported that Kerry said that within a year there was a good chance that Trump would not be in the White House.

The former Secretary of State did not rule out to Agha the possibility of running for president in 2020.

He offered his help to the Palestinians in an effort to advance the peace process and recommended that Abbas present his own peace plan.

“Maybe it is time for the Palestinians to define their peace principles and present a positive plan,” Kerry suggested.

The US official pledged to employ his connections in the international community in order to garner support for this plan, reported Ma'ariv.

In addition, Kerry advised Abbas, through Agha, to stop criticizing the US and its administration and to instead only focus on Trump because he is the sole person responsible for the current situation, said the Israeli newspaper.

He also spoke about how senior US officials, intelligence and security agencies were disappointed in the way Trump is leading the country.

Kerry remarked that overcoming this stage requires patience and perseverance.



Hezbollah Leader Calls on Government to Work Harder to End Israel's Attacks on Lebanon

A woman walks at the damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A woman walks at the damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Hezbollah Leader Calls on Government to Work Harder to End Israel's Attacks on Lebanon

A woman walks at the damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A woman walks at the damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group called on the government Monday to work harder to end Israel’s attacks in the country a day after an Israeli airstrike hit a suburb of Beirut.

Naim Kassem said in a televised speech that Hezbollah implemented the ceasefire deal that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war in late November. But despite that, Israel is continuing with near-daily airstrikes.

Kassem’s comments came as the Israeli military said it carried out more than 50 strikes in Lebanon this month saying they came after Hezbollah violated the US-brokered ceasefire, The Associated Press reported.

On Sunday, Israeli warplanes struck Beirut’s southern suburbs after issuing a warning about an hour earlier, marking the third Israeli strike on the area since a ceasefire took effect in late November. The Israeli military said it struck a precision-guided missiles facility.

“The resistance complied 100% with the (ceasefire) deal and I tell state officials that it's your duty to guarantee protection,” Kassem said, adding that Lebanese officials should contact sponsors of the ceasefire so that they pressure Israel to cease its attacks.

“Put pressure on America and make it understand that Lebanon cannot rise if the aggression doesn’t stop,” Kassem said, pointing to Lebanese officials. He added that the US has interests in Lebanon and “stability achieves these interests.”

Kassem said the priority should be for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, an end to Israeli strikes in the country and the release of Lebanese held in Israel since the war that ended on Nov. 27.

Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by its Hamas allies ignited the Israel-Hamas war. The Palestinian Hamas group killed about 1,200 people in Israel and abducted 251 others during the 2023 attack.

The Israel-Hezbollah conflict exploded into all-out war last September when Israel carried out waves of airstrikes and killed most of the militant group’s senior leaders. The fighting killed over 4,000 people.

The Lebanese government said earlier this month that 190 people have been killed and 485 injured in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire took effect.