has died. he began as a child actor storing in silent movies and went on to appear in 200 films, along with roles in television and broadway. those are the headlines. i'm tony harris. "inside story" is next on al jazeera [♪ music ]

>> hello, i'm ray suarez. now stop me if you heard this one before. american diplomats jet here and there talk extensively with palestinian representatives, talk extensively with israeli representatives, keep talks going when they threaten to unravel in mutual renation, and then what, the two sides remain in contact officially and quietly behind the scenes israelis insist on things that they know the palestinians will never agree to without significant concessions, and palestinians mak insist on thins that they know the israeli also never accept. israeli and palestinian negotiators carried on with u.s. brokered peace talks after the effort came close to collapse.

>> the near unraveling came when israel announced it would not release another batch of palestinian prisoners breaking it's own commitment in the negotiations. palestinian protesters clashed with israeli forces in the west bank shortly after. israel said its hand was forced. palestinian leader mahmood abbas went ahead and saw membership to 15 international treaties and conventions, something he promised not to do during talks. >> this step will affirm the state of palestine, and it is a good step to get recognition from the whole world as our status of a state like other states but under occupation.

>> israel let a prisoner-release deadline expire in march. president benjamin netanyahu said he would not stand for unilateral moves. >> palestinian threats to approach the u.n. will not affect us. palestinians have much to loose by taking unilateral steps. they will only achieve a state through direct negotiation not by empty declaration or unilateral measures. these will only push further away peace agreement. unilateral steps on their part will be answered by unilateral steps from our side. we're willing to continue with the talks but not at any cost. >> before abbas' move, netanyahu said his cabinet was about to to approve a deal including restraints in new settlements. the release of jonathan pollard.

the u.s. convicted pollard of spying for israel in 1987. the question of jewish settlements in occupied territory is causing tensions in israel's cabinet. while the palestinian authority negotiate for peace hamas continues to fire rockets into israel from the gaza strip. and one of israel's negotiators said the u.s. role as lead mediator is hindering the talks process. >> i believe we need to move to more meetings, direct with the palestinians. >> meaning less american involvement? >> less american involvement, yes. >> u.s. patience may be running out. secretary of state john kerry

said as much last week. there needs to be a reality check. >> there are limit tots amount of time and effort that the united states can spend if the parties themselves are unable to take constructive steps. >> kerry has given the talks a deadline of april 29th. he didn't say what the next move will be if the current negotiations break down. >> today both israeli and palestinian negotiators reported they held serious and constructive talks over the weekend, and they've asked the state department to arrange more meetings in the coming days. but are they talks that could lead somewhere? is the obama administration chasing illusory games in the long-term stand off between the two sides, gains that have alluded american administrations for years now.

my guests here in washington, richard la baron, senior fellow at the lappet council. hthe atlanta council. and from los angeles, the author of "palestine inside out: an every day occupation." he is a professor at the security of california los angeles. richard la barren, do israelis and palestinians agree on enough for the united states to have something to broker? is there enough voter in that diagram that gives the united states a place to stand on to help these talks continue? >> well, that's a good question, and i think we don't know the real answer to it because one of the aspects of these talks has been important is that they have been very discrete, "p" both sides have not talked about them

very much. they've left it to secretary kerry to be the spokesman on the substance of the talks. what we do know is that they are engaged in the so-called final status issues. these difficult issues of territory, borders, the status of jerusalem. we know that they're engaged on those issues. the palestinians say the differences have widened during the negotiations, but i think it's a little hard to tell exactly where they are. but i'm encouraged by the fact that they are at least engaging on the real issues that divide the two sides. >> has taking this amount of time hurt both the palestinian cause and israeli aspirations to finally have an end to this? >> well, it depends on what you mean by this amount of time. these negotiations have been going on in one way or another for more than 20 years now. so they hurt the palestinian cause in that in the past 20

years they've seen the number of israeli settlements multiply and the situation inside israel worsen and the situation of refugee worsen. on the other hand, the stall, the break down in these negotiations has also opened up the opportunity for palestinian civil society to articulate new visions of a just and lasting peace that don't have anything to do with the current framework of talks. they are going in different sets ever directions which i think would bring both people closer to a real peace settlement than anything being negotiated around this table today. >> dan, in those more than 20 years that was just mentioned, has there been an evolution inside israel over what a final status would look like, over what could be accepted by the broad enough israeli society to agree on what the final shape looks like?

>> well, you know, 20 years is a very long time, and we should consider it after the accords in 1993. i think there was a willingness, and then after the murder by a jewish extremely and then an outbreak of violence and early in 2000 the suicide-bombers that were wreaking havoc in the cities of israel there were serious deterioration and belief that the palestinians are a partner. the former prime minister said that, and now there is a fear, and actually had has already been said by others, that th thy are already blaming the palestinians for this failure. so i think that the israelis today, if we're talking about

today, there is very big desire for peace, but there is a lack of belief that there is a partner on the other side. and there is a mirror on the israeli side. >> it also questioned the united states long-term status as a broker between the two size. whether that was an effective relationship. what's the femaling in israel? is the united states an essential partner in these three-way negotiations? >> well, you know, i think there is no doubt that secretary kerry has invested a tremendous unprecedented amount of time and effort and energy in trying to bring the two parties to the table to talk and to reach a successful deal. on the other hand there is no doubt that at least from some a parts of the israeli governments that these efforts were red

called. we know what the minister--the defense minister said, and others, so you know, i think that perhaps today from a very right wing government perhaps the relationship to the united states has taken a little bit for granted. i think that the--we have not seen the type of pressure that the united states can if it wishes wield in order to bring israel to the stable. and to make serious steps towards reaching an agreement. you know, i don't see anybody else who has the capability to broker a deal. but then again i don't think we're going to see anything until the 29th of april. i think that this round of negotiations is pretty much--has pretty much ended. you know, the palestinians and

the israelis have to think about the day after. >> so is it unusual as a palestinian to hear an israeli sitting in tel aviv questioning the role of the united states in these negotiations? usually it's the palestinians who are worried about the u.s. status as an honest broker between the two sides. >> no, i mean, there are different israeli positions, obviously, but i think more interesting than that is the question of what are we negotiating about? because if you look at it in the perspective of the 20 years plus that the people have been talking, what is kind of under discussion at most is some version of some kind of palestinian state in bits and pieces of the territories that israel occupied in 1967. the problem is that the majority of palestinians don't live in those territories, and the majority of the palestinians have been excluded from the negotiating framework all together. so i mean by that, the largest

single component of the palestinian people are those living in exile and as refugees, and the palestinians living at second class citizens in israel. their agenda, their interests, their rights are not part of the conversation. how can we even talk about a framework of peace when the majority of palestinians have no voice, their rights, their interests, their demands are not represented as the negotiating table. how can we talk about peace in that sense. well, what other modes of peace can we talk about? i think it's clear to the majority of palestinians that the only road towards peace are the ones that accommodates the rights and needs of all palestinians, the refugeings, the ones in israel, and israel as well. that's what we have to try to start thinking about.

>> we're going to take a short break right now. when we come back we'll hear from richard la baron on the long road to peace taken by the united states, and we'll talk more about how you would bring the rest of the palestinian diaspora into the conversation if you want to know what they think about a future state. this is inside story. plan

>> welcome back to inside story. i'm ray suarez. on this edition of the program we're talking about the israeli-palestinian peace process. and we're very close to the end of our time. we want to whip around the table once more and get your best crystal ball gazing on the coming few weeks. is there anything big that the two sides are close enough on that there's some near term agreement that can give a basis of going forward? >> oh, no, the way forward is clearly not this way. the pa way forward has been articulated by the palestinian society and israelis well and that's a state that treats everybody equally.

if the american people believe in the fundamental rights of justice and equality, one day i think they'll pressure their government to do so. but it will be from the ground up, not from the top down. >> anything in the near term that you can get a quick victory on that gives you basis to continue talking? >> i doubt that very much. i think the key question is going to be will the palestinians be able to continue with international with international of the conflict without violence? it's a very big challenge for the palestinians. they're going to suffer in the process. there's no question about that, but i think in the end if they succeed in doing that, then they have a good chance to make serious inroads sometime in the future, and i don't know how

soon that's going to be. >> finally to you, richard? >> i don't see this as a moment of gestures or good will. as has been suggested in the past. the peace process has never been a popularity contest. this is a time for leadership from all sides and i encourage john kerry to encourage that from the israelis and the palestinians. >> would you consider yourself optimistic? >> i wouldn't call it optimistic or pessimist, but it will be good for all. >> we want to hear what you think of this or any day's shows log in to our facebook page. send us your thoughts on twitter or you can reach me directly at ray suarez.

in washington, i'm ray suarez. >> a historic move. one of the nation ace farmest pharmacy chains will. >> he lay on the ground of his hometown of nogales mexico. and it traveled through an