Israelis, Palestinians hold ‘productive’ talks at Ramadan dinner
For the first time in three years on Monday, Israeli and Palestinian officials met for direct talks in Washington which were described as “productive” by the U.S. State Department.
Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni and her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erakat sat down side-by-side opposite U.S. top diplomat John Kerry to share a traditional Muslim itfar meal just after sunset.
The meal was seen as a symbolic message of peace and tolerance.
“It was a constructive and productive meeting between the parties. They engaged in good faith and with seriousness of purpose,” a senior State Department official said in a statement, after the dinner lasting about 90 minutes, according to AFP news agency.
“We are looking forward to continuing the talks tomorrow morning.”
Meanwhile Kerry hailed the moment as “very, very special.” And seeking to break the ice at the landmark meeting, he joked: “There’s not very much to talk about at all!”
For the first time in three years on Monday, Israeli and Palestinian officials met for direct talks in Washington which were described as “productive” by the U.S. State Department.
Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni and her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erakat sat down side-by-side opposite U.S. top diplomat John Kerry to share a traditional Muslim itfar meal just after sunset.
The meal was seen as a symbolic message of peace and tolerance.
“It was a constructive and productive meeting between the parties. They engaged in good faith and with seriousness of purpose,” a senior State Department official said in a statement, after the dinner lasting about 90 minutes, according to AFP news agency.
“We are looking forward to continuing the talks tomorrow morning.”
Meanwhile Kerry hailed the moment as “very, very special.” And seeking to break the ice at the landmark meeting, he joked: “There’s not very much to talk about at all!”
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