Since US-brokered peace talks resumed at the end of July, Israeli and Palestinian delegations have held more than 15 sessions. The meetings, which took place in Jerusalem and Palestinian-ruled Jericho, focused on thorny “final status” issues: Jewish settlements, Palestinian refugees and the future borders of a Palestinian state; but the most dramatic debate was on Jerusalem.

US Secretary of State John Kerry stepped up the pressure on Israel to reach a deal within the nine-month framework (i.e., by the end of April 2014), warning that failure could spark a Third Intifada (Palestinian uprising).

“How many times does Israel have to make concessions until the world realizes that peace with the Muslim nations is almost impossible?” an official in the Prime Minister’s Office said to Israel Today. “The Arab states cannot come to terms with a Jewish state in their midst.”