Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met today for the first time in more than a month with little sign of progress in peace talks marred by disputes over settlements and violence.
The United States has stepped up pressure on both sides to take confidence-building steps ahead of a visit by US President George W. Bush in May.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas shakes hands with Israeli prime mnister Ehud Olmert prior to their meeting in Jerusalem
But Mr Olmert has said he will push ahead with building within major Jewish settlement blocs and Jerusalem despite international protests.
Today's meeting was the first between the two leaders since February 19th.
Mr Abbas briefly broke off contacts last month following Israel's killing of more than 120 Palestinians, many of them civilians, in an offensive in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Israel said the incursion was intended to counter cross-border rocket fire by militants.
Palestinian and Israeli officials said the meeting, at Mr Olmert's Jerusalem residence, would be a chance to assess the state of peace talks launched at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in November.
Washington hopes the two sides can clinch a statehood agreement before Mr Bush leaves office next January.
"We are negotiating in all seriousness and seek to reach a settlement to all final-status issues, but the settlement will not be at any price," Abbas told members of his Fatah faction yesterday.
Hamas, which seized the Gaza Strip in June after routing Fatah forces, called Mr Abbas's talks with Mr Olmert "a farce".
The lead negotiators - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie - have been meeting regularly and were to take part in today's session with Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas, Israeli officials said.