Israeli, Palestinian officials may resume talks Tuesday in Washington

Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians may be resumed on Tuesday, an Israeli minister told media Thursday. "Things haven't been settled in a definite matter but the direction is renewing the talks on Tuesday," Israeli Regional Development and Energy and Water Minister, Silvan Shalom, said during a press conference initiating an Israeli-Palestinian Industrial Area in Jericho. "We want to move forward with the negotiations in parallel with improving the Palestinian economy," said the minister. This is the first time in three years that Israeli and Palestinian politicians will hold official direct negotiations (if Shalom is correct on the information), after the peace talks fell through in 2010 over Israel's construction in the West Bank settlements. Israeli Justice Minister and chief negotiator Tzipi Livni will fly with the prime minister's envoy Itzhak Molcho to Washington where they are expected to meet Saeb Erekat, the top Palestinian negotiator. The Israeli government is set to discuss a package of gestures Israel is willing to offer the Palestinians, including the release of 82 Palestinian prisoners locked up in Israeli jails, early next week. It is also set to discuss a draft of a referendum bill, according to which the Israeli people will vote on any future peace deal to be brought forth. After the government's expected approval, the draft will be passed to the approval of the Knesset (parliament). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also took notice of the renewing peace talks and said Thursday "it takes two to tango. " Netanyahu, who was visiting the military recruiting station, said he hopes "there will be persistence in achieving peace." On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been striving to revive the stalled Mideast peace process in recent months, said the two sides would resume negotiations for peace soon.