Israeli and Palestinian leaders held their first direct negotiations in nearly two years in Washington yesterday.
Binyamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to meet again in the Middle East in two weeks. The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and George Mitchell, White House envoy, will join the first of these talks.
The talks were initiated by Barack Obama, who gave them a one-year deadline. Obama has said that the goal is a two-state solution along 1967 borders, ending the Israeli occupation of this territory, and creating an independent, democratic, peaceful Palestinian state.
Mitchell said that the two leaders will begin putting together a framework agreement on the major issues, such as borders, Jerusalem, Jewish settlements, and security. This will aim to "establish the fundamental compromises necessary" to work on a peace deal.
Abbas called for Israel to end settlement construction and lift the blockade of Gaza. Netanyahu said that both sides would need to make painful compromises.
