BACKGROUND: Chronology of Israeli-Palestinian talks since 2000

Aug 20, 2010, 11:26 GMT

Berlin - The efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East have made little headway over the past few years, despite several initiatives by the United States. They have included:

-- JULY 2000: Two weeks of negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yassir Arafat at Camp David in the US state of Maryland do not yield any results. US President Bill Clinton does not succeed in mediating the fight over the future status of Jerusalem. Four months earlier, Clinton had unsuccessfully attempted in Geneva to secure Syrian President Hafez Assad's involvement in the peace process.

-- MAY-JUNE 2001: Former US senator George Mitchell and CIA director George Tenet call for an end to violence and trust-building actions as a foundation for new peace talks. A separate state for the Palestinians by 2005 is among the 'visions' that US President George W. Bush has - as noted in a so-called road map for Middle East peace. Israel's right to exist should also be respected.

-- JUNE 2003: Under pressure from Bush, Israel and the Palestinians lay the cornerstone for the Middle East peace plan at a summit in Jordan's Aqaba. The summit participants affirm their commitment to the Middle East road map, which envisions an end to violence and the creation of an independent Palestinian state within three years.

-- NOVEMBER 2007: Bush invites Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas to a Middle East conference in Annapolis, Maryland. The two sides agree to direct peace talks meant to lead to a two-state solution within one year. But the initiative for peace in the Middle East fails shortly after.

-- JANUARY 2008: Bush becomes the first US president to hold talks with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah, in the Palestinian West Bank.

-- NOVEMBER 2008: Abbas and Olmert meet in Jerusalem after violence once again escalates in the Gaza Strip. One month later, Israel launches a controversial military offensive codenamed Operation Cast Lead. Some 1,400 Palestinians die in the Gaza Strip.

-- SEPTEMBER 2009: US President Barack Obama, Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree in New York to resume the halted peace talks.