Israeli President Shimon Peres called peace a top priority for 2013. The remarks came at a reception with Christian leaders, meant to mark the new year. “Peace is not just a desire, it is not just a call from heaven, I think it can be attained and achieved,” he said. “We have to act determinedly, honestly and courageously to achieve it. That was from the very beginning, from the Old Testament to the New Testament and throughout the scriptures.” Peres added that he is opposed to peace …More

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met in Jordan for the second time in a week. The face-to-face meeting Monday was the result of a meeting last week in Amman with representatives of the Mideast Quartet.  No statements followed Monday's meeting, also in Amman, after both sides agreed not to speak to the media about the sessions. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry is the only party authorized to discuss the talks, and it did not release a statement following the meeting. Unnamed Palestinian sources told The …More

The first peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in over a year are expected to take place Tuesday in Jordan. Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh will moderate the talks between Israeli negotiator Yitzhak Molcho and his Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erekat. Representatives from the Mideast Peace Quartet, which consists of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, will be present for the first meeting between the two sides before removing themselves for the …More

The U.S. government has asked senior Palestinian officials to refrain from leaking details of talks that took place recently between Middle East Quartet envoys, Israeli representatives and the Palestinian Authority. According to a senior U.S. official, the Quartet agreed with Israel and the Palestinians that the content of the talks would remain confidential. “Quartet members and parties have agreed to preserve confidentially in their discussions. So frankly, we're somewhat disturbed by the fact that many …More

Quartet representatives, in Israel again for their habitual visit, announced that Israel and the Palestinians "have agreed to move on to the next stage within the established guidelines," meaning that each side will submit its proposal for security and borders within three months. According to a Quartet spokesman, "Both sides expressed their willingness to participate in the formulation of a draft agreement, overcome the obstacles, and streamline bilateral negotiations, without hesitation and without …More

Today, a senior Palestinian official denied that delegates would soon meet in Jordan to discuss the resumption of peace talks. Though the Quartet hoped to pressure Israel and Palestine to coming back to the table before the end of the month, Saeb Erekat refused, unless Israel ceases settlement construction. US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland announced on Tuesday night that the Quartet has proposed a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials in Jordan on October 23 to begin peace …More

Israel on Sunday formally accepted an international proposal to return to peace negotiations with the Palestinians, but any immediate resumption of talks appeared unlikely as the Israelis and Palestinians differed sharply over the letter and spirit of the proposal A senior Palestinian official said over the weekend that after three days of deliberations, the Palestinian leadership had decided not to return to talks unless Israel halted all settlement construction and agreed to clear terms of reference for the …More

In response to the Quartet’s call for negotiations to resume within a month, Israel issued a carefully worded statement on Sunday saying that it “welcomes the Quartet’s call for direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions, as called for by both President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu.” “While Israel has some concerns,” the statement read, “it will raise them at the appropriate time.” "Israel calls on the Palestinian Authority to do the same …More

Israel's government welcomed on Sunday parts of an international proposal to resume long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians but said it had concerns about the plan. The plan by Mideast mediators, known as the Quartet, calls for a peace deal in a year and asks both sides to produce comprehensive proposals on territory and security within three months. The Quartet presented the latest timetable after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the U.N. late last month to recognize a state of Palestine in the …More

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the eight senior cabinet members decided on Tuesday night to support the Quartet's initiative for renewed talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The plan, presented Friday at UN Headquarters in New York by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, calls for Israel and the Palestinian Authority to renew direct talks within a month, to present proposals on borders and security within three months, and to reach a final agreement by the end of 2012. Israeli government …More

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union Catherine Ashton— met in New York on 23rd September 2011. They were joined by Quartet Representative Tony Blair. The Quartet takes note of the application submitted by President Abbas on 23rd September 2011 which is now before the Security Council. The Quartet reaffirmed its statement of 20th …More

President Shimon Peres on Monday praised the new peace initiative introduced by the Quartet of Middle East mediators on Friday, saying the plan creates a new opportunity to resume direct negotiations with the Palestinians, Israel Radio reported. Peres said that both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and PA President Mahmoud Abbas had turned to their own supporters in their respective speeches to the UN General Assembly on Friday, but that no effort was made to lessen the gaps between the positions of the two …More