Mideast peace

Israeli and Palestinian leaders will meet again next week in what is expected to be a yearlong process of biweekly sessions culminating in a framework for peace within a year.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will hold their second face-to-face meeting Sept. 14-15 in Egypt. They will have to confront the same contentious issues — Israeli settlements and security, borders for a Palestinian state and the future of east Jerusalem — that have frustrated negotiators for decades.

However, even as the talks begin, an immediate test of their willingness to reach an agreement lies ahead as Israelis debate the future of their plans for settlements in disputed territory.

To encourage Palestinians to resume talks, Israel imposed a partial moratorium on settlements in the West Bank, but that is slated to end Sept. 26. Palestinians have called for a continuance of the moratorium and have threatened to end the talks, if construction resumes.

Israelis are divided, and a hard-line Cabinet member has demanded an end to the settlement slowdown.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said his party will oppose any move to extend the partial moratorium. His party is the second-largest member of the governing coalition and could bring down the government if it pulls out. The foreign minister, however, said that would not happen.

Foreign diplomats have urged both sides to avoid uncompromising public statements that might make it more difficult to find a middle ground.

The face-to-face talks are just getting under way after a 20-month lapse. It is crucial now for Israelis and Palestinians to avoid extreme positions that will make harder to reach the compromises necessary to give the fledging talks a chance to succeed.