Kerry to meet Netanyahu in latest Mideast peace push

US Secretary of State John Kerry was to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday as he seeks agreement on a framework for final status talks with the Palestinians.

A State Department official told AFP ahead of the four-day trip that Kerry aims to hammer out a framework to guide the sides through the tough final months of talks, due to end in late April after an agreed nine-month negotiating period.

A US State Department official told AFP before the visit that Israel's settlement expansion had created difficulties in the negotiations, and reiterated Washington's position that the settlements are illegitimate.