TEL AVIV, December 10. /ITAR-TASS/. Leaders of Israel and Palestine rejected Washington’s new initiatives on settlement that US Secretary of State John Kerry outlined last week. He will visit Jerusalem and Ramallah on December 11.

As Israeli media reported on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday criticized Kerry’s plan at a meeting with ministers and MPs from the Likud Beiteinu faction led by him.

The plan envisages providing security of Israel after the declaration of Palestine’s independence by introducing foreign troops in the Jordan Valley and creating robust technical security systems to prevent foreign terrorists from entering the territory.

The Jerusalem Post newspaper cites Netanyahu's words in this regard: “On the border with Jordan, we need to keep Israeli, but not American or other foreign forces ... We should maintain a presence in the Jordan Valley, because on the other side of the border are the jihadists.”

“We cannot stop terror alone with sensors and barbed wire,” the newspaper quoted Israel’s prime minister.

Kerry’s initiative provoked outrage among the Palestinians. Two prominent representatives of the Palestine — Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Abed Rabbo and the official representative of Palestine’s leader Nabil Abu Rudeina — accused US Secretary of State of promoting Israeli interests at the expense of Palestine.

According to Abed Rabbo, “the US is backing Israel’s expansionist ambitions in Jerusalem and on the West Bank of the Jordan River by promoting security plans.”

Meanwhile, Abu Rudeina stated that “there will be no deal with Israel without setting free Palestinian convicts.”

According to Maariv newspaper, last week Kerry threatened Palestinian negotiators that the release of the next group of Palestinians from Israeli prisons might be delayed if Palestine does not make concessions in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the head of the US foreign service expressed his “optimism about the progress (in direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations)”. In addition, his return to the Middle East after a conversation with Netanyahu and Abbas last Thursday and Friday also made experts talk about some progress. However, as it becomes clear from statements of direct participants in the negotiation process, they do not share Kerry’s optimism.