Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on Tuesday gave themselves about nine months to try to reach an agreement on ending their conflict of more than six decades in US-brokered peace talks.
The two sides held their first peace negotiations in nearly three years in Washington on Monday and Tuesday, a diplomatic victory for Secretary of State John Kerry, but one that foreign policy analysts believe has low chances of success.
Flanked by the chief negotiators for both sides, Kerry said he was well aware of the doubts but described the initial talks, which focused on process rather than substance, as "constructive and positive."
Speaking after the meetings, which included a closed-door session with President Barack Obama at the White House as well as talks between the two sides without US officials present, Kerry said peace was possible despite the obstacles.
"While I understand the skepticism, I don't share it," Kerry said with Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat at his side, adding all so-called final-status issues to end the conflict were on the table.
"We cannot pass along to another generation the responsibility of ending a conflict that is in our power to resolve in our time," he added. "They should not be expected to bear that burden, and we should not leave it to them."
The talks will go to a second round by the middle of August, Kerry said, adding that "our objective will be to achieve a final status agreement over the course of the next nine months."
Kerry said Israel had agreed to take unspecified steps to ease the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank, which is ruled by a Palestinian Authority dominated by Abbas' Fatah faction, and the Gaza Strip, where the Islamist Hamas group holds sway.
Speaking to reporters later, a senior US official declined to identify these but said they aimed to improve economic growth and added "it's more than just removing roadblocks."
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