Israel – Palestine talks due to resume in Washington

PanARMENIAN.Net - Israel and the Palestinians plan to resume peace negotiations this week for the first time in nearly three years after an intense effort by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to bring them back to the table, according to Reuters

The talks are scheduled to resume in Washington on Monday, July 29 evening and on Tuesday and will be conducted by senior aides to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the State Department said.

"Both leaders have demonstrated a willingness to make difficult decisions that have been instrumental in getting to this point. We are grateful for their leadership," Kerry said in a statement.

The last round of direct negotiations broke down in late 2010 in a dispute over Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank, land that Israel seized in a 1967 war, along with the Gaza Strip, which the Palestinians want for a state.

It is unclear how the United States hopes to bridge the core issues in the dispute, including borders, the future of Jewish settlements on the West Bank, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem.

In a statement, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said initial talks were planned for Monday evening - Israeli media said these would take place over dinner at Kerry's home - and on Tuesday.

Psaki suggested the round of talks in Washington would be to chart a path forward, rather than to leap directly into the thorny issues that need to be resolved.