Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met in Jerusalem on Wednesday for their third consecutive talks since the resumption of direct peace negotiations intended to bring peace to the Middle East.
The meeting, that followed talks between Netanyahu and Abbas in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh, took place at Netanyahu's official residence behind closed doors.
After the talks, U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell told reporters the Israeli and Palestinian leaders seemed optimistic about their negotiations.
"They are tackling up front ... the issues that are at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Mitchell was quoted by the Haaretz newspaper as saying. "I will say that the two leaders are not leaving the tough issues to the end of their discussions ... We take this as a strong indicator of their belief that peace is possible."
Netanyahu reportedly reiterated during the meeting that Israel would not extend the moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank, which expires on September 26.
The issue of Jewish settlements is among the main sticking points that have prevented peace between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.
Abbas visited the Israeli prime minsiter's official residence for the first time since Netanyahu took over from Ehud Olmert 18 months ago.
"Today I returned to this house after a long period of absence in order to continue the talks and the negotiations, in hope of arriving at an eternal peace in all the region, and especially peace between the Israeli people and the Palestinian people," Haaretz quoted his statement in the visitors' book.
Abbas and Netanyahu resumed peace talks on September 2 in Washington, after an almost two-year hiatus, with the two leaders expressing their readiness to search for a compromise.
During the meeting, the Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to meet each two weeks in order to complete negotiations within a year.
Netanyahu's spokesman Alex Selsky told RIA Novosti that preparations for a new round of talks have already began, adding that the date and the place of the meeting would be announced in a few days.
Israeli-Palestinian direct peace talks came to a halt in December 2008, when Israel launched an attack on the Gaza Strip in a bid to put an end to the firing of homemade rockets at southern Israel by Palestinian militants based in the enclave. The conflict left 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.
TEL AVIV, September 16 (RIA Novosti)
