Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) began Thursday morning in Washington. Some news agencies labeled the ceremony 'historic' but many observers expect the talks to collapse soon after they begin.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas were talking directly for the first time since Netanyahu was elected Prime Minister in 2009. Talks between Israel and the PA broke off shortly before Netanyahu entered office, when Israel – led by Ehud Olmert – launched a large scale assault on Gaza terrorists.
In her opening statement, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she and President Barack Obama believe the talks “can succeed,” but added that "success will take patience, persistence and leadership."
Addressing the two leaders, she said: "I truly believe you are the leaders who can make this long-cherished dream a reality, and we will do everything possible to help you." Clinton said the US would be an “active and sustained partner” in the negotiations
Netanyahu said that "mutual and painful concessions from both sides" will be required for peace. "We expect you to recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people," he told Abbas, adding that the Israelis are "fully aware and respect your people's desire for sovereignty."
When Abbas spoke, he called for a continuation of the freeze on construction of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and a complete lifting of what he called the “embargo on Gaza.” Abbas made clear he expected negotiations to begin where they had left off in the past, explaining that “we’re not starting from scratch because we had many rounds of negotiation between the PLO and the Israeli government.”
Netanyahu mentioned the murder of four Jewish civilians by Hamas terrorists Tuesday, and Abbas said PA security forces are working to apprehend the people responsible for the attack.
After the opening remarks, Abbas and Netanyahu entered a closed door meeting that was expected to last about three hours. The Obama administration’s special envoy to the Mideast, George Mitchell, told reporters that the next meetings between Netanyahu and Abbas would take place Sept. 14 and 15.