The US Secretary of State says Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meeting in Washington have agreed to work towards a "final status" Middle East peace agreement over the next nine months.
John Kerry said another meeting between the two sides would be held in either Israel or the Palestinian territories in the next two weeks which would begin the process of formal negotiations.
Mr Kerry said "all issues" would be on the table for discussion. "They are on the table with one simple goal: a view to ending the conflict, ending the claims."
The Secretary of State said the objective would be a final status agreement over the next nine months.
He was speaking at a news briefing after two days of talks between the two sides in Washington DC.
Earlier, US President Barack Obama met the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators - Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and lead Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat - at the White House.
The issue of settlement-building halted the last direct talks in September 2010, the BBC reports. Settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
In the last five months, Mr Kerry has made six official visits to the Middle East in an effort to restart the negotiations.
