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To break the stalemate, Israeli and Palestinian ministers talk together at the meeting of Sant'Egidio

As tension rises in Jerusalem on the question of settlements, an attempt to revive the dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians in Barcelona is made on initiative of Sant'Egidio.

The Israeli minister of diplomatic relations and of the diaspora, Yuli Yoel Edelstein, and the Palestinian Authority minister of religious affairs, Mahmoud Al-Habash, met at the Sant'Egidio International Meeting for Peace "Living together in a time of crisis".

During the public plenary session, in the presence of more than 350 political and religious authorities, including the President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic, the chief rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger and the Egyptian Minister for Religious Affairs Zakzouk, they explained their positions, trying to weave a dialogue. The Israeli minister, declared that "peace can not be held hostage to armed men," and that "good walls don't make good neighbors". On his side the Palestinian minister said that he hopes that "Israel will accept the outstretched hand", because "the road to peace is clear, and now we must apply the method of the dialogue."

And the dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, recently revived by President Obama, is again in crisis due to the end of the moratorium on settlements that had been decided one year ago by the Nethanyhau Government, while President Abu Mazen calls for the extension of the moratorium in order to proceed with the talks. The dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians will continue on Monday morning during the meeting of Sant'Egidio.