North West peace talks begin

Launching his initiative to forge a Middle East peace agreement within a year, Barack Obama described it last night as a "moment of opportunity that may not soon come again".

The US president said that he recognised the task would be difficult after so many failed efforts, and that passions and mistrust ran deep. But he said that the occupation and accompanying conflict were unsustainable. His cautious optimism was shared on both sides of the table.

Last night Netanyahu raised hopes by describing his Palestinian counterpart Abbas as his "partner for peace". Turning to the Palestinian leader Netanyahu said: "It is up to us to overcome the agonising conflict between our peoples and to forge a new beginning."

But he also warned: "We left Lebanon, we got terror. We left Gaza, and we got terror once again. We want to ensure that territory we concede will not be turned into a third Iranian-sponsored terror enclave aimed at the heart of Israel."

Netanyahu said the death of four Israelis settlers, killed by Hamas gunmen on Tuesday, reinforced Israel's determination to ensure its security is at the forefront of the negotiations.

Abbas reiterated the desire for a peaceful solution. "We don't want blood to be shed, neither that of Palestinians nor of Israelis. We want peace, we want normal life. We want to live as partners and neighbours."

But he said Israel needed to give the Palestinians tangible signs, including freeing all Palestinian prisoners and freezing all settlement construction on land the Palestinians want for their future state.

Hours before the leaders were to eat dinner at the White House, two Israelis were wounded by Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank. Hamas said today that it was behind yesterday's attacks.

"The attack was a message to those who pledged to the Zionist enemy that there would be no more attacks," Hamas armed wing spokesman Abu Ubaida told Haaretz.

Obama said last night that "terrorists who want to undermine" the push for peace would not be allowed to weaken negotiations. But he said he harboured "no illusions" as to the challenge faced to reach a lasting settlement.

"Passions run deep. Each side has legitimate and enduring interests. Years of mistrust will not disappear overnight," he said.

"After all, there's a reason that the two state solution has eluded previous generations. This is extraordinarily complex and extraordinarily difficult. But we know that the status quo is unsustainable."

The president said that it was in the national interests of all involved, including the US, that the conflict be brought to a peaceful conclusion. But he warned that the US could not impose a solution or want it more than did the parties themselves. Obama also called on Arab states to back the process, saying that they claimed to want to see an independent Palestine, but did little to support it – his statement implying that the Arab states should move toward recognising Israel.

He also said that "terrorists who want to undermine" the push for peace would not be allowed to weaken negotiations.

Obama held bilateral meetings with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and the Egyptian and Jordanian leaders, before hosting a White House dinner for all four. Tony Blair, the envoy for the quartet of the US, UN, EU and Russia, was also expected to be at the dinner. Direct negotiations between the two sides begin today at the state department with the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and the US.
bookmark