Washington - Direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders have moved into "very sensitive and important areas".
"I have to say, it's been impressive to see the two leaders engage so seriously so early on what are the core issues, but these talks are already into very sensitive and important areas," US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in an interview done in Jerusalem.
Under the US sponsorship, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian National Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas held two rounds of negotiations on 14 -15 September in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh and Jerusalem.
They are scheduled to meet later this week in New York on the sidelines of the 65th UN General Assembly meetings.
When asked whether she believes Israel would continue the moratorium on Jewish settlements in West Bank, a key demand by the Palestinians to further the talks, Clinton did not reply directly but said, "Well, that certainly is our hope."
She noted that it took a lot of political capital for Netanyahu to achieve the moratorium which had never been done before, and it has been in effect for the time that it was set for, so both sides need to get through the moratorium hurdle.
"The talks are just starting, so we are working hard to make sure there remains a conducive atmosphere to constructive talks. They need to keep talking. And each party - both Israelis and Palestinians need to figure out a way to make that happen," she said.
"We don't want either party to leave these negotiations or to do anything that causes the other to leave the negotiations," the top US diplomat stressed.
