U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, and Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat address reporters on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 2013. Photo: State Department.

Times of Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prevented President Shimon Peres from traveling to Jordan in 2011 to finalize a peace deal reached secretly with the Palestinians, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Thursday.

The statement by Erekat follows claims by Peres and others that he had come close to reaching a historic agreement with Abbas three years ago before being stymied by Netanyahu.

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