Israel has agreed to a long-standing Palestinian demand to release Palestinian prisoners in order to resume peace talks.
Israel and the Palestinians have laid the groundwork for resuming peace talks after an almost three-year stalemate, the US has announced.
Four chefs promoted peace in the Middle East at an event "Taste of Peace", recently held in Johannesburg.
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday sought a clean start in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians appeared to have collapsed on Wednesday after Washington admitted its attempts have failed.
The path to Middle East peace, already strewn with an array of daunting obstacles, has now got one more hurdle to overcome.
US President Barack Obama has barely a week to save the Middle East peace process, only months after he relaunched it amid optimistic predictions.
Mahmoud Abbas says he will not take part in peace talks "for a single day" if Israel does not extend a freeze on settlement building.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said Israeli and Palestinian leaders were "serious" about reaching a peace deal.
Israel and the Palestinians are to resume direct peace talks next week under pressure from Washington to break years of political stalemate.
Israel and the Palestinians were waiting on Friday to study the wording of a US statement inviting them to start direct talks on a peace treaty.
United States President Barack Obama urged Israel and the Palestinians on Tuesday to resume direct peace talks by September.
The Palestinians pulled out of peace talks on Wednesday as a protest at Israel’s approval for new homes in a Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem.
United States Vice-President Joe Biden assured Israel on Tuesday of Washington’s commitment to its security.
Israel disclosed it would build 112 new homes in a Jewish settlement, a plan Palestinians said topped the agenda in talks they held with a US envoy.
Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday unveiled his government’s plans to create a de facto state in two years.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak was on Wednesday preparing to send a team of negotiators to Washington to meet a Palestinian delegation.
