Israelis and Palestinians closer to talks, Kerry claims

US secretary of state John Kerry has ended four days of intensive shuttle diplomacy without an agreement to resume Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, but he claimed to have “considerably” narrowed the gap between the sides.

At the end of his fifth visit since taking office in February he said both sides wanted him to come back soon, and that he would do so.

Mr Kerry said he was impressed with the “serious commitment” by both sides to resume the talks, which were last held in 2010, and he now believed the start of final-status negotiations could be “within reach.”

“We started with huge gaps and we have narrowed them. There are a few details, but I am sure we are on the right track. The sides believe it is possible. The effort put in by both sides indicated to me that they are serious.”

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said after Mr Kerry met Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah there had been some progress, “but we can’t say there’s been a breakthrough”, towards reviving deadlocked peace talks.

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu told his cabinet “Israel is ready to enter negotiations without delay and without preconditions”.

Officials from all the parties were tight-lipped on the details of the discussions, but Mr Abbas has demanded a settlement freeze, an Israeli commitment to talks on the basis of the 1967 West Bank border and the release of more than 100 veteran Palestinian prisoners, as preconditions for talks.

Mr Netanyahu was reportedly willing to accept a phased prisoner release and a statement from Mr Kerry declaring that talks would be held on the basis of the 1967 lines.