The Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers held face-to-face talks today for the first time in almost three weeks, starting 10 days of international diplomacy aimed at advancing the US-backed "road map" peace plan.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mr Mahmoud Abbas arrived at Israeli premier Mr Ariel Sharon's Jerusalem residence for a meeting expected to focus on the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Israel has indicated it may partly back off its previous refusal to free any members of the two Islamic militant groups that have waged a campaign of suicide bombings against Israelis.
"I think it is possible to free people from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with the obvious provision that they don't have blood on their hands," said Cabinet minister Mr Gideon Ezra, using a phrase for direct involvement in deadly attacks.
On June 29th, the two groups declared a three-month halt to attacks on Israelis, and were joined by Mr Yasser Arafat's Fatah, which declared a six-month moratorium. But although violence that has killed more than 3,000 people since September 2000 is markedly down, other progress has been slowed by disagreements.
Implementing the road map a blueprint for ending three years of violence and establishing a Palestinian state by 2005 will be the focus of twin summits in Washington, with President Bush meeting both Mr Abbas and Mr Sharon four days later.
At today's summit, Mr Abbas is expected to ask Israel to release many more prisoners than the several hundred it offered to free two weeks ago. The International Committee of the Red Cross says Israel holds some 7,700 prisoners, most of them militants accused of links to terrorism.
Mr Abbas is also expected to press Mr Sharon to pull troops out of other West Bank towns and to dismantle the scores of illegal Jewish settlement outposts both steps also stipulated in the road map.