Israel and Palestine to start Middle East peace negotiations

On the eve of the direct talks between Israel and Palestine, leaders of the two countries said of their wish to reach results in Middle East peace negotiations.

Speaking ahead of a dinner at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Our goal is to forge a secure and durable peace between Israel and the Palestinians. We do not seek a brief interlude between two wars. We do not seek a temporary respite between outbursts of terror.” Netanyahu called Mahmoud Abbas his “partner in peace,” urging the Palestinian leader to join him in forging a “historic compromise” to end decades of conflict.

In response, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said that a peace deal with Israel is possible “within a year”, before condemning the latest West Bank attacks on Israelis. He reiterated a call to freeze all settlement activities and said the time had come to make peace.

Direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians will start Thursday; US President Barack Obama urged both sides to come up with a peaceful solution to the long running Mideast conflict.