Palestinian sources in Ramallah said Wednesday that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s return to Ramallah and Jerusalem would be decisive with regard to whether the talks with Israel will continue.

The Al-Ayam newspaper, which is considered the mouthpiece of the Palestinian Authority, quoted Palestinian sources who accused the United States and Kerry of adopting the Israeli position with regard to security arrangements, and that this would have implications for all the issues under discussion, including the core issues.

According to these sources, PA President Mahmoud Abbas expects to get clear answers from Kerry on two main issues – the continuing settlement construction and the release of prisoners – as well as a response to the Palestinian objections to the security plan.

“It seems as if the next stage of the negotiations will be based on principles that the Palestinians cannot accept, and thus Kerry will bear responsibility for the failure of the talks. He is not operating as a neutral sponsor and mediator,” a source said.

Criticizing Kerry is something new coming from the PA spokesmen, who until now have spoken positively about the secretary of state’s efforts. The criticism has been conveyed to Kerry himself, as well as in announcements by senior PA officials, including those involved in the negotiations. A member of the PLO Executive Committee told Haaretz that Kerry is trying to misrepresent the talks as making progress, when that assessment has no basis in reality.

PA officials already began to express their disappointment with Kerry’s handling of the talks earlier this week. They have also warned the Americans of the ramifications of the negotiations’ failure among the Palestinians in the field if the talks seem to be making no progress.

“For the first time I can agree with [Foreign Minister Avigdor] Lieberman and [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, who declared the parties are not close to an agreement. This time they’re right,” said a senior PA official, who added that the optimism Kerry is trying to convey is not understood.

“There is a sense that Kerry is trying to advance the process, but in practice there is no basis for this because Netanyahu first and foremost wants to maintain his coalition rather than advance the process, not to mention the real obstacles he’s been placing, like continued building in the settlements and his opposition to all Palestinian claims in Jerusalem and with regard to borders and refugees. Under these circumstances there’s nowhere to progress,” the PA official said.