Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will attempt to do in nine months to do what they haven’t been able to do in several decades:  Reach a “final status” agreement to end their long conflict. 

That’s according to US Secretary of State John Kerry who hosted talks in Washington designed to provide the framework for peace talks.  Kerry says those talks will commence in the next two weeks either in Israel or Palestinian territories.

After a morning of talks at the White House with President Barack Obama and at the State Department, the two sides had agreed that all the most contentious issues such as borders and refugees and the fate of Jerusalem would be on the table for discussion.

Kerry praised the “courageous leadership” shown by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to get to this point.  On Sunday, Netanyahu pushed through his plan to release 104 Palestinian prisoners as a good faith gesture to advance the talks.