WASHINGTON (EJP)---Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to meet again in Egypt Sept 14 -15, possibly in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, and at regular two-week intervals after that to continue peace talks.

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders launched their first direct negotiations in 20 months in Washington on Thursday.

US peace envoy George Mitchell said after the talks Netanyahu and Abbas agreed to seek a “framework” accord as part of their peace talks.

The accord would lay out the compromises needed to complete a comprehensive peace treaty within a year, which all parties have set as a target to complete a comprehensive and final peace agreement.

Such an agreement is less detailed than a "full-fledged treaty" but more detailed than a declaration of principles.   

Mitchell also told reporters: “They agreed that for these negotiations to succeed, the talks must be kept private and treated with sensitivity."

In opening some four hours of Israeli-Palestinian talks in Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she understood the "suspicion and skepticism" leading up
to the meetings.   

"I know the decision to sit at this table was not easy," Clinton told Abbas and Netanyahu in a chandeliered room at the State Department, joined by their delegations. "Thank you for your courage and commitment."   

After Wednesday's weighty symbolism and lofty rhetoric, culminating in a White House dinner with President Barack Obama, Netanyahu and Abbas finally got down to the business end of proceedings, presenting their opening demands.   

“Just as you expect us to be ready to recognize a Palestinian state as the nation state of the Palestinian people, we expect you to be prepared to recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people,”  Netanyahu told Abbas, as the two sat on either side of Clinton with their national flags behind them.   

“There are more than a million non-Jews living in Israel, the nation state of the Jewish people, who have full civil rights. There is no contradiction between the nation state that guarantees the national rights of the majority and guaranteeing the civil rights, the full civil equality, of the minority.”

In the wake of two Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israelis in the West Bank, Netanyahu renewed references he had made at the White House on Wednesday to protecting Israel's security.   

Iran-backed Hamas claimed responsibility for the attacks.

"A real peace must take into account the genuine security needs of Israel," Netanyahu said.   

Abbas Abbas responded: “Yesterday we condemned the operations that were carried out. We did not only condemn them, but we also followed the perpetrators, and we were able to find the car that was used and to arrest those who sold and bought the car.”

“And we will continue all our efforts to take security measures in order to find the perpetrators. We consider that security is of essence, is vital for both of us. And we cannot allow for anyone to do anything that would undermine your security and our security.”

But Abbas also stuck to his demands on settlements. 

"We call on the Israeli government to move forward with its commitment to end all settlement activity and completely lift the embargo over the Gaza Strip," Abbas said.

Israel tightly controls access and egress from the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Islamist Hamas group, a rival of Abbas's Palestinian Authority and a fierce opponent of the peace talks.   

Before going behind closed doors to begin tackling the core issues that have bedeviled past peace attempts, the two leaders poignantly shook hands, and Abbas appeared to give Netanyahu a thumbs up.   

US Middle East envoy George Mitchell described a first 90-minute meeting between him Clinton, Abbas and Netanyahu as "productive" and said the parties agreed the core issues could be settled within a year. 

Netanyahu and Abbas then held a one-on-one meeting with no note-takers or translators which officials said lasted 93 minutes.   

The Palestinians said Abbas had reiterated face-to-face with Netanyahu his demand that settlement construction must cease for the talks to continue.   

He had previously refused to enter direct negotiations without a full halt to Israeli settlement activity, but yielded under pressure from Obama.   

The Palestinian leader is still warning that a renewal of settlement activities after September 26, when a 10-month partial moratorium expires, would end the negotiations.   

A final meeting with both leaders, Clinton and Mitchell lasted another 18 minutes.   

Mitchell and Clinton announced their intention to be present at the future talks.