Middle East Quartet seeks ‘concrete steps’ to revive peace talks

The “Quartet” of Middle East peace mediators said on Wednesday it had decided to give new impetus to trying to get Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace talks with the help of key Arab states.

 

Peace talks, envisaging a Palestinian state in territory Israel captured in a 1967 war, collapsed in April last year after nine months of largely fruitless discussions sponsored by the United States.

 

Tensions have risen sharply in recent weeks as Arab states and Palestinians have accused Israeli forces of violations at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.

 

“We have decided to work together … on concrete steps on the ground in the absence of the peace process in the Middle East and have decided to reutilize the Quartet’s activities,” European foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters after a Quartet meeting at the United Nations.

 

“This crisis that has been there for decades, out of all the crises in front of us, is the one that is still possible to solve,” she said.

 

The Quartet – comprising the United States, United Nations, the European Union and Russia – has until now largely been ineffective, with most of the key players showing little desire to resume talks.

 

Read More: Middle East Quartet seeks ‘concrete steps’ to revive peace talks | Reuters