Israelis, Palestinians resume direct talks

Israelis and Palestinians resumed direct talks for the first time in three years as they joined US Secretary of State John Kerry to share an evening meal. Israel's chief negotiator Tzipi Livni sat next to her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erakat opposite Kerry as they broke the traditional Muslim Ramadan day of fasting. Kerry welcomed them saying the moment was "very, very special." Speaking just hours before the first face-to-face public meeting since September 2010, Kerry again praised the courage shown by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in agreeing to resume negotiations. "Many difficult choices lie ahead for the negotiators and for the leaders as we seek reasonable compromises on tough, complicated, emotional and symbolic issues," he said. "I think reasonable compromise has to be a keystone of all of this effort." The two sides have agreed to continue talking for at least nine months, a State Department official said. "They have agreed to work together through the course of that time," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, but she cautioned this was not a deadline.