HOME STRETCH:

Israel, Palestinian Officials Launch Negotiations on Final Peace Deal (VOA News, 14 January 2008)

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia opened the talks Monday at a hotel in Jerusalem. An Israeli official described the session as "preparatory".

The two sides are expected to discuss the most intractable disputes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and the borders of a Palestinian state.

President Bush said on a visit to Israel and the West Bank last week that he expects an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty to be signed by the time he leaves office in January 2009.