Kerry: Israelis, Palestinians to hold talks to finalize deal on resuming peace negotiations

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives to board a flight to reach the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he is expected to hold new talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, July 19, 2013 in the Jordanian capital Amman. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stepped up his drive Friday to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table, facing Palestinian reluctance over his formula for resuming peace talks after nearly five years. (AP Photo/Mandel Ngan, Pool)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives to board a flight to reach the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he is expected to hold new talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, July 19, 2013 in the Jordanian capital Amman. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stepped up his drive Friday to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table, facing Palestinian reluctance over his formula for resuming peace talks after nearly five years. (AP Photo/Mandel Ngan, Pool)

RAMALLAH, West Bank — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Israel and the Palestinians will meet soon in Washington to finalize an agreement on relaunching peace negotiations for the first time in five years.

Kerry has told reporters that he and the two sides “reached an agreement that establishes a basis for direct final status negotiations,” but he added that it is “still in the process of being formalized.”

He says “if everything goes as expected,” Israeli and Palestinians negotiators will hold initial talks “within the next week or so.”

Today's announcement came at the end of a visit by Kerry to the region holding several days of talks with both sides.