The Obama administration has organized new meetings that bring Israeli and Palestinian officials together in an effort to renew peace talks. Last night, Secretary of State John Kerry hosted a dinner after a day-long fast observed by Muslims during Ramadan, which was the first time the two sides have sat down face-to-face in nearly three years. The talks between representatives from both regions will continue throughout the day at the State Department. Kerry said that with the help of Martin Indyk, a former envoy who has helped orchestrate peace talks in the past, U.S. officials are hopeful that the two sides can make progress: “[Indyk] understands that Israeli-Palestinian peace will not come easily and it will not happen overnight. But he also understands that there is now a path forward and we must follow that path with urgency. He understands that to ensure that lives are not needlessly lost, we have to ensure that opportunities are not needlessly lost” …
