Israeli and Palestinian peace talks resume in Washington

Israelis and Palestinians have resumed direct talks for the first time in three years, with the United States urging negotiators to make tough compromises to reach a peace deal.

Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni and her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erakat sat side-by-side opposite top US diplomat John Kerry to share a traditional Muslim iftar meal in Washington DC on Monday.

Kerry, the US secretary of state, who has staked much of his reputation on bringing both sides back to the talks, first met with the teams separately.

Kerry was flanked at the dinner by seasoned diplomat Martin Indyk, who he named earlier as the US special envoy to the talks, and by White House Middle East advisor Phil Gordon.

President Barack Obama welcomed the imminent start of talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but urged both sides to approach them with honesty.

“The most difficult work of these negotiations is ahead, and I am hopeful that both the Israelis and Palestinians will approach these talks in good faith,” he said on Monday.

Obama thanked his own top diplomat, Secretary of State John Kerry, for organising the talks, which were to begin later Monday in Washington with an initial exchange between top negotiators.

“I am pleased that Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas have accepted Secretary Kerry’s invitation to formally resume direct final status negotiations and have sent senior negotiating teams to Washington for the first round of meetings,” Obama said.

Israeli and Palestinian teams arrived in Washington earlier on Monday for preliminary talks towards a formal re-opening of negotiations after years of stalemate.

The new Israeli-Palestinian talks follow nearly five years of paralysis, and skepticism on both sides runs deep. Twenty years of on-again, off-again negotiations have failed to achieve a final peace agreement with the creation of a Palestinian state.

Just hours before the negotiations were to begin,  US Secretary of State Kerry named former U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk to be his point man for the talks. Indyk played a key role in the 2000 Camp David peace negotiations.

At a State Department briefing Monday with Indyk at his side, Kerry said “reasonable compromises must be the keystone for all efforts towards a negotiated settlement.”

Kerry also said that many difficult choices lie ahead during the talks and that he would seek to establish “reasonable compromises” between the two sides.

“It is no secret this is a difficult process. If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago,” Kerry said.

“It is no secret, therefore, that many difficult choices lie ahead for the negotiators and for the leaders as we seek reasonable compromises on tough, complicated, emotional and symbolic issues,” Kerry told reporters.

The talks, stalled since 2010, follow months of shuttle diplomacy by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

The Israeli government has approved the release of long-held Palestinian prisoners in a decision that comes days before Israeli and Palestinian officials are due to meet to try to revive stalled peace talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu overcame strong opposition within his Cabinet to secure Sunday’s approval of the prisoner release by a vote of 13 ministers in favor to seven against, with two abstentions. 

Under the Cabinet decision, 104 Palestinian prisoners will be released in four stages during a period of U.S.-proposed peace talks with the Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas. 

Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who voted in favor of the releases, said they will be carried out “only if” the Palestinians prove to be a “serious” partner in the planned negotiations. 

Abbas’ government has said Israel must free long-held prisoners in order for negotiations to proceed. Israeli media have said the prisoners include Palestinians convicted of decades-old deadly attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces. 

The Israeli Cabinet’s offer to release such prisoners drew opposition from ultranationalist ministers who said it would be a reward for “terrorism.” Israeli media said Mr. Netanyahu told his ministers the prisoner decision was “difficult” for him and the families of those killed but also necessary to renew the peace process. 

Palestinian officials have said they expect to hold preliminary talks with Israeli negotiators in Washington on Tuesday. The two sides last opened formal negotiations in September 2010 but the process collapsed within weeks.

Source: Agencies / THE TIMES OF EARTH