Palestinian and Israeli negotiators met with Tony Blair on 3rd January 2012 in Amman, Jordan, as part of Quartet talks aimed at restarting peace negotiations between the two parties.
Robert Serry, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, was also present along with representative from the European Union, Russia and the United States. Yitzhak Molcho, an attorney and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal envoy, attended on behalf of Israel.
The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, both praised King Abdullah II of Jordan and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh for facilitating the meeting.
Talks had been stalled since September 2010 after Israel continued settlement activity contrary to requests from their neighbours, prompting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to cease negotiating directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In This Story: Israel
Israel, a Middle Eastern country on the Mediterranean Sea, is regarded by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the biblical Holy Land. Its most sacred sites are in Jerusalem. Within its Old City, the Temple Mount complex includes the Dome of the Rock shrine, the historic Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Israel’s financial hub, Tel Aviv, is known for its Bauhaus architecture and beaches.
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In This Story: Kingdom of Jordan
Jordan is a founding member of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. The sovereign state is a constitutional monarchy.
From as early as 1948, Jordan has accepted refugees from multiple neighbouring countries in conflict. An estimated 2.1 million Palestinian and 1.4 million Syrian refugees are present in Jordan as of a 2015 census. The kingdom is also a refuge to thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing persecution by ISIL.
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In This Story: Palestine
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In This Story: Russia
Russia spans more than one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area, stretching eleven time zones, and bordering 16 sovereign nations. Moscow is the country’s capital.
The Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991 and since 1993 Russia been governed as a federal semi-presidential republic. Russia is a major great power, with the world’s second-most powerful military, and the fourth-highest military expenditure. As a recognised nuclear-weapon state, the country possesses the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons.
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In This Story: United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization that aims to maintain international peace and security.
At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; with the addition of South Sudan in 2011, membership is now 193, representing almost all of the world’s sovereign states.
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In This Story: United States
