In what is widely expected to set the tone for heralding lasting peace in the Middle East region, the first direct talks involving Israelis and Palestinians got underway almost after three years in Washington on Monday, with the US Secretary of State John Kerry taking the initiative to bring both the teams across the negotiation table to try and broker a lasting peace.

Hosted by Kerry, the traditional Iftar dinner meant for breaking the Ramadan fast served as the ideal platform to launch the negotiations, viewed by the entire world with a lot of expectations. What transpired during the talks would be known when Kerry is scheduled to address a press meet late on Tuesday evening. Going from what a senior Israeli official had to say, it becomes clear that the Iftar dinner was “informal” and was aimed more at establishing a conducive atmosphere so that the negotiating teams could make use of the dinner to commence discussions on the agenda.

Informal Dinners Set the Tone

Stating that Palestinians considered all Jewish settlement building beyond the Green Line to be illegal, Abbas, who was speaking from Cairo where he was holding a meeting with Egypt’s interim President Adly Mansour, said no Israeli settlers or border forces could remain in a future Palestinian state. Palestinians don’t want to see a single Israeli civilian or solider in their lands in what will be emerging as a final solution, Abbas said, adding his country was for an international, multinational presence like in Sinai, Lebanon and Syria, where the United Nations has sent its peace-keeping force.

Positive Tone

Striking a positive note, Livni told the Associated Press before leaving for Washington that the main idea was to begin the negotiations (on Monday). Noting that there was intense skepticism, cynicism and pessimism, Livni, however, said there was also hope. “I believe that by relaunching the negotiations we can recreate hope for Israelis and Palestinians as well”, he said. On Tuesday, the Israeli and Palestinian teams will meet again in the presence of Kerry to carry forward the negotiations, and also evolve a timetable for future meetings. The Secretary of State would also read out a joint press statement summing up the day’s proceedings.

New Middle East Peace Envoy

Meanwhile, former US ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk has been appointed by Kerry as Washington’s special Middle East peace envoy, and the appointment has been approved by both Netanyahu and Abbas. Introducing Indyk at the time of launch of peace talks, Kerry said Indyk will also be part of the peace process, with Frank Lowenstein named to serve as his adviser. Describing Indyk as “realistic”, Kerry said the new US envoy understood that it was going to be a long-drawn process. “He understand that peace will not come overnight but that there is a sense of urgency”, he said. Terming Middle East pace as a challenging task, Indyk, on his part, said he, however, can’t run away from it.