"The hard work is only beginning. Neither success nor failure is inevitable," US President Barack Obama commenting the direct Palestinian-Israeli talks which have started in Washington. The path towards this dialogue was thorny and now nobody dares to forecast the outcome.
The US decided to supervise the negotiating process, when in spring this yearthe quartet of the Middle East mediators which comprises (the US, Russia, the EU and the UN) urged Israel and Palestine to resume direct talks without setting any preliminary conditions. After failures in Iraq and Afghanistan Obama desperately needs any diplomatic victory he can get before the November interim elections to the Congress. That is why he is so active in promoting the contacts between Palestine and Israel. Obama even mentioned a one year term for the conflict's settlement.
The main goal of the talks between Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmud is to establish an independent Palestinian state. Ze'ev Elkin, a member of the Israeli parliament for the Likud political party shared his view on the prospects of the talks with the "Voice of Russia":
"I don't think that we can be 100% sure of the positive outcome of the talks considering that there is a split in the Palestinian camp and Abbas is actually representing only half of the Palestinian territory. The government of Hamas in the Gaza Strip is against the talks and this makes the situation more complicated."
The beginning of talks was darkened by new attacks by radical islamists of Hamas. Four Israeli people were killed and several people were wounded, including a pregnant woman. Both Abbas and Netanyahu condemned these acts. However the tragic events highlighted the resumption of contacts between the leaders of the two nations.
Palestinians and the Israeli people are divided by uncompromising contradictions. The only thing they agree on is the general formula of talks which is "two states for two nations". It requires the solution of numerous issues which form the talks' agenda. For the moment the stumbling block is Israel's policy on the construction of its settlements on the occupied territories. The parties are also reluctant to compromise on such issues as the borders of the future Palestinian state, the division of Jerusalem and the return of the refugees.
Paradoxically, the current talks may result in keeping the status quo on the Middle East.
But can it be that the talks will continue only for the sake of talks and violence will remain the dominating factor in the Middle East region?
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