A United States diplomat, who grew up in Australia, has been appointed the chief negotiator in Middle East peace talks which resume in Washington this week.
62 year old Martin Indyk, who has twice served as a US ambassador to Israel, will preside over the first direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians since peace talks collapsed in September 2010.
Greg Dyett reports.
For the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, getting the two sides to Washington has been hard work, with six trips to the Middle East in four months.
Speaking ahead of the first direct talks in almost three years, Mr Kerry acknowledged the difficulties that will inevitably be encountered.
"I know the negotiations are going to be tough but I also know that the consequences of not trying could be worse. To help the parties navigate the path to peace and to avoid its many pitfalls, we'll be very fortunate to have on our team, on a day-to-day basis working with the parties wherever they are negotiating, a seasoned American diplomat, Ambassador Martin Indyk."
Mr Indyk says he's spent the last 40 years believing that Middle East peace is possible.
"It is a daunting and humbling challenge but one I cannot desist from. I look forward with great excitement to working with you, President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu and their teams to do our best to achieve President Obama's vision of two states living side by side in peace and security."
One of the keys to getting the Palestinians to agree to the talks was convincing Israel to release 104 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel's Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, says it was a difficult decision.
(translated) "This moment is not easy for me, it's not easy for the cabinet ministers and it's not easy especially for the bereaved families whose feelings I understand but there are moments in which tough decisions must be made for the good of the nation and this is one of those moments."
Mr Netanyahu says the prisoners will be released in stages depending on how the negotiations progress, but some amongst the Palestinians are sceptical, such as activist Mustafa Barghouti.
"The Israeli decision about the release is not clear. They say that they will be released in stages and that their release will be conditioned by what Palestinians provide politically on the table of negotiations. We think this is an act of blackmail, that their release will be used as an instrument of blackmailing the Palestinian negotiating team."
The US wants to broker an agreement for a two-state solution that would see Israel exist peacefully alongside a new Palestinian state created in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip - lands the Israelis have occupied since the 1967 war.
The Palestinians and Israel are deeply divided over four so-called final status issues.
These are the status of Jerusalem, claimed by both as their capital; the exact borders of a Palestinian state, complicated by Israel's expansion of Jewish settlements across the West Bank; providing security for both states; and what right of return Palestinian refugees might have.
Share
