Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

In what is being described as a last ditch effort to salvage the fraught Israel-Palestine peace process, the US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Rome Sunday. However, as is evident from remarks made by U.S. officials ahead of the meeting, hopes of a breakthrough are slim at best.

“The Secretary plans to discuss a range of regional issues with the prime minister at their meeting in Rome, which includes the fight against Daesh [Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group], recent developments in Syria. He will not be trying to restart peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians or offering any new initiatives,” US State Department spokesman John Kirby said during a press briefing Friday. “Obviously, as a part of this broader discussion that the Secretary will be having with the prime minister, they’ll talk about where things stand with respect to movement to or away from a two-state solution. But … he’s not going to restart talks.”

Read full story at The International Business Times.