John Kerry meets Israeli, Palestinian leaders to rev up peace talks NEW: U.S. Secretary of State says he puts Israel's security first He kicked off talks in July, but in November both sides dug into their decades-old trenches Kerry has been toting along a gift bag to motivate the players -- security and money He will also try to calm Israeli upset about the nuclear deal with Iran (CNN) -- John Kerry makes another push for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks Thursday when he hops between Jerusalem and Ramallah to address grievances from both sides. The U.S. Secretary of State kicked off talks in July, but in November, both sides dug into their decades-old trenches and passed around blame. He first met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; next he visits with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. For negotiations to go forward smoothly, Netanyahu wants finger pointing to stop, he told journalists at a news conference with Kerry on Thursday. What we need is not grandstanding, but understanding. Finger pointing When fingers were pointed in November, Netanyahu accused the Palestinians of continuing to incite their people against the Jewish state. He has accused them of perpetuating an "artificial crisis" to avoid a real peace deal. Palestinians pointed the finger back at Jerusalem on the incitement gripe. But the hottest issue remains the construction of thousands of Jewish settlement units on the West Bank and other land that Palestinians claim as theirs. It is the real source of the "deep crisis between the Palestinians and the Israeli negotiations team," a Palestinian official said. He accused Israel of falsely claiming that the Palestinians were willing to let construction go forward if Israel released more Palestinians from prisons. It's a concession Israel commonly makes in deals with the Palestinian leadership. It's simply not true, the official said. All settlements are illegal in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Motivating players Kerry has been toting along a gift bag to motivate the players. Palestinians are receiving economic stimulus from Washington, which is shelling out a $100 million contribution to a program to build new roads, water lines, schools and other infrastructure. The measure, called the High Impact Micro-Infrastructure Initiative, is also expected to create jobs for the unemployed in the impoverished territory. Security is big with Jerusalem, and U.S. Gen. John Allen and the Pentagon have worked up an assessment of Israel's security needs in the event of a comprehensive peace agreement. It's a must if Israel is going to sign on, Netanyahu said. Israel must be able to defend itself by itself. Kerry told journalists Thursday that he sees eye to eye with the Israeli Prime Minister on this. Israel has ratcheted up its security concerns in light of a new temporary agreement with Iran to curtail its nuclear weapons capabilities in return for easing international economic sanctions that have crippled the country. This has been a sore spot with Netanyahu, who fears that opportunists looking to do business with Iran will further whittle away at the sanctions. He pounded the point again Thursday. "I think steps must be taken to prevent further erosion of sanctions," he said. In the end, Netanyahu said he wants to see an agreement that puts an end to Iran's nuclear weapons capability. Kerry pledged to work toward that goal. U.S. negotiators will make Israel's concerns a priority, he said. Israel's security in this negotiation is at the top of our agenda. Kerry's scorecard If Kerry can keep both sides in the game long enough to reach a peace accord, it will be another big new feather among many in his cap. Since taking over from Hillary Clinton early this year, Kerry has quickly racked up some big diplomatic points. They include a deal with Russia to pry chemical weapons from the hands of the Syrian regime and a thaw in the 30-year diplomatic ice age between the United States and Iran when world powers reached the deal with Tehran over its nuclear program. That last feather is a thorn in the side of many Israelis, particularly Netanyahu, who felt the agreement put Israel in grave danger. He has not minced words about it. The Prime Minister quickly called the agreement to ease economic sanctions in exchange for increased inspections and limitations on uranium enrichment a "historic mistake." Ever since, President Barack Obama and Kerry have done a lot of schmoozing with the Prime Minister to reassure him that it has the potential to be a historic agreement.