Former US Secretary of State John Kerry recently met in London with Hussein Agha, a close associate of Mahmoud Abbas, for a lengthy conversation, which Agha shared with senior PA officials in Ramallah, Ma’ariv reported on Wednesday. According to the report, Kerry asked Agha to tell Abbas to “hold on and be strong.”
“Tell him,” Kerry said, “that he should stay strong in spirit and play for time, that he should not break down and not capitulate to President Trump’s demands.”
Kerry assured Agha that Trump will not remain in office for long, and that there’s a good chance that within a year he will not be in the White House any longer.
Hussein Agha is Senior Associate Member of St. Antony’s College, Oxford, and co-author of “A Framework for a Palestinian National Security Doctrine.” He negotiated with Peres’ emissary Yossi Beilin in the 1990s and is also a veteran member of the negotiating team with Israel and conducted the “London Track” secret negotiations that were held from 2010 to 2013 with Netanyahu’s emissaries under the supervision of Dennis Ross.
Agha is maintains an extensive network of contacts with many influential Israelis.
According to the report, Kerry used derogatory terms when referring to the president. He offered to help launch an alternative peace initiative for which he promised to help create international support of the Europeans, various Arab countries and the international community.
Kerry hinted that many in the American establishment, as well as in American intelligence, are dissatisfied with Trump’s performance and the way he leads America. He surprised Agha when he said that he was seriously considering the possibility of running for president in 2020.
When asked about his advanced age, he said he was not much older than Trump and would not have an age problem.
He could, of course, face an electability problem, just like he did in 2004.
Agha reportedly suggested the former Secretary of State was “fanatical” about fulfilling his dream of peace between Israel and the PA.