Israel and Palestine Talks, Take 154*

For the first time in 20 months, Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed to resume direct negotiations, scheduled Sept. 2 in Washington, to talk about such thorny things as Israeli settlement activity, the borders of a future Palestinian state, and the right of Palestinian exiles to return to their homeland.

*OK, it’s not really Take 154, but there’s been a huge amount of talking and still the Palestinians are homeless. —JCL

BBC:

Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to resume direct negotiations for the first time in 20 months, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have been invited to Washington on 2 September to start the talks.

They have agreed to place a one-year time limit on the direct negotiations.

But correspondents say prospects of a comprehensive deal are slim as serious disagreements exist on the core issues.

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AP / Charles Dharapak

Shake on it: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet in New York in 2009, as President Barack Obama plays host.