Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh says he believes a final peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians could be on the table within the time period of two years from the commencement of talks between the two parties. Sneh says he believes the time is right for talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but progress must be made very quickly, as nobody knows how long this opportunity may last.

Quote: "Israel and the Palestinians should be able to reach a final peace deal within two years of restarting negotiations, a senior Israeli official said on Thursday. "I believe, strongly believe, that the time is right for a direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiation about the final-status agreement," Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh told a conference on the role of the United States and other third-parties in the stalled peace process. "Two years are enough to conclude a detailed agreement," he said, proposing a six-month discussion of principles before advancing to final details on establishing a Palestinian state. "In the government of Israel, there is a majority for doing it. We have an opportunity but I don't know how long it will last. So we have to do it very, very quickly," Sneh said.

His comments echo that of Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy, who has stated that he believes the Palestinians and Israelis must now agree on the "end game", the final status issues such as Jerusalem, and the Palestinian "right of return". Final status issues constituted the final stage of the "Roadmap to peace" document. But so far the Palestinian leadership has been unable to implement even the first stage, the cessation of terror. Now international leaders hope that if they can get an agreement on the "end game", the rest should fall into place...  

Quote: "EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana also said a meeting of the Quartet of Middle East mediators in February would try to find ways to ensure progress toward peace before the summer. "What we would like to do with our friends is to know what is the endgame -- once we have the endgame, to know really how we can get there," Solana told a news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. "Endgame" is the diplomatic code for negotiating aspects of a lasting peace agreement between Israel and its neighbours.

...at least, that's what they hope. Of course implementing the agreement is a whole other matter. The Bible states the Antichrist - the head of the European Union, will confirm a covenant between Israel and many nations, that should last for a period of 2520 days, or roughly seven years. It's seems final status issues, such as East Jerusalem and the disengagement from Judea (Zechariah 14:2) will be enforced in the middle of this period. But whatever happens, the covenant fails (Daniel 11:30-31) and the Jews get the blame (no change there then). All the armies of the world gather in Har Megiddo - northern Israel, to settle the issue once and for all (Revelation 16:16). The Jews flee into the wilderness where they will be nourished by God for 3.5 years (Revelation 12:14), until the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Source Reuters, Reuters