JERUSALEM — With tensions high and expectations low, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators kicked off their first substantive round of peace talks in nearly five years, huddling together at an undisclosed location Wednesday in search of an end to decades of conflict.
The meeting was cloaked in secrecy, an attempt by both sides to prevent leaks and maintain trust. Officials would say only that the talks took place in Jerusalem, and there was no immediate comment from either side. The Israeli government released a video showing the chief negotiators shaking hands as the talks continued into the evening.
Ahead of the meeting, there already were signs of trouble. An Israeli push to build hundreds of new homes in Jewish settlements and fresh fighting in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip underscored the tough road ahead.
Overnight Wednesday, Israeli aircraft attacked what the army said was rocket-launching equipment in Gaza. The army said the airstrike was in response to rocket fire several hours earlier. There were no injuries on either side.
“We are committed to making the effort, for the sake of Israel and for Israel’s values,” Israel’s chief negotiator, Tzipi Livni, told Channel 10 TV before the talks began. “It will be complicated and complex, but I am not giving up.”
Late Wednesday, both sides confirmed the meeting had ended after several hours. A Palestinian official said they had agreed to meet weekly, alternating between Jerusalem and the West Bank town of Jericho. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sides’ commitment to maintain secrecy.
The negotiations came after months of mediation by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has made six trips to the region since taking office early this year.
Kerry’s envoy, former U.S. Ambassador Martin Indyk, was in the region to mediate.
It was the third attempt since 2000 to agree on the terms of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
They see Israel’s continued construction of settlements, now home to more than 500,000 Israelis, as undermining hopes of dividing the land between two states, a view that is overwhelmingly shared by the international community.
While unable to secure a halt in settlement construction, Kerry has promised the Palestinians that Israel will show restraint. The Palestinians also say that Kerry has assured them that the 1967 borders will be the basis of discussions, even if Israel refuses to say so publicly.
