While Secretary of State John Kerry will not travel to Israel during his first tour of the Middle East since assuming the top U.S. diplomatic post, he will be meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmud Abbas in Riyadh on Monday, a state department official told reporters.Kerry, who is on his first trip to the region since succeeding Hillary Rodham Clinton as the top United States diplomat, will have lunch with the PA leader, who arrived unexpectedly in Riyadh on Sunday, AFP reported.
Kerry's tour does not include Israel, but he will reportedly accompany President Barack Obama when he meets Israeli and Arab leaders in Jerusalem and Ramallah during a visit on March 20-22.
Abbas "will present the Palestinian point of view to the new US administration ahead of Obama's visit," PA envoy in Riyadh Jamal al-Shawbaki told the "Voice of Palestine" radio station.
Abbas, in his first meeting with Kerry, will also highlight the so-called "Israeli violations" in Jerusalem, "settlements", and the issue of "Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike," said Shawbaki.
The issue of Arab prisoners in Israeli jails once again made headlines as the PA accused the Israeli Shin Ben of assassinating Arafat Juradat, a terrorist detainee who died while in Israeli custody in his Megiddo prison cell.