Israel should be commended for its long-standing commitment to enter into direct talks.

B’nai B’rith hopes the Palestinians will participate in these talks in good faith, and cautions that the Palestinians should not have unrealistic or unattainable expectations. The failure of previous negotiations can readily be traced to Palestinian reluctance to compromise on difficult issues.

The announcement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that “[t]hese negotiations should take place without preconditions,” is encouraging in a process that has long been stalled.

B’nai B’rith will carefully monitor events surrounding the Sept. 2 meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas hosted by the United States at the State Department.