Direct Palestinian-Israeli talks will be resumed Wednesday by a meeting that brings together Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu; the meeting will be held at Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem.Later on Wednesday, Abbas and Netanyahu will be holding a meeting with the participation of U.S Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton.
The meetings are considered a continuation of the newly kicked-off direct Palestinian-Israeli talks mediated by the United States.
On Tuesday, Abbas and Netanyahu held a bilateral session in Sharm Al Sheikh Egyptian resort but the outcome of the talks was not made public.
U.S Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, stated Tuesday that Abbas and Netanyahu are determined to continue the talks, and that they believe a final-status agreement could be reached within a year.
Mitchell added that the talks must remain confidential and away from the media, and that they must be dealt with in a careful and professional manner.
He said that the Palestinian and Israeli sides must find solutions to the main obstacles of peace talks and stated that the United States will likely present proposals and suggestions to boost the talks.
Israel still insists on what it calls its right to construct and expand settlements in the occupied territories, especially in occupied East Jerusalem. This is in addition to Israel’s stances regarding rejecting a full withdrawal from the occupied territories and the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees.
The issues of water, natural resources and borders also remain among the main obstacles of peace talks.
