The latest round of Israeli/Palestinian talks, 2013-14
Attitudes to US Secretary of State's drive to revive the Middle East peace process have generally been pessimistic. Is that justified?
• Secretary of State John Kerry has made intense efforts to re-start the talks between Israelis and Palestinians on a two-state solution
• The two sides agreed to face-to-face talks in July 2013
• Israel agreed to release a number of Palestinian prisoners
• The Palestinian side agreed not to continue the drive for immediate recognition as a state or to seek legal redress against Israel for alleged war crimes
• Despite the talks, settlement construction in the Occupied Territories has continued
• There have been sporadic rocket attacks from Gaza; Palestinian officials claim that 57 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces since the latest round of talks began
• The US set a deadline of the end of April 2014 for the two sides to agree a framework for settlement
• There has been little sign of progress in the talks
• The talks may collapse because the Israelis might not release the last tranche of Palestinian prisoners
• They may reach the deadline with no successful outcome
• The US administration is trying to persuade the Palestinian side to extend the deadline
• There are plenty of obstacles to any progress