Secretary of State John Kerry announced Friday that Israeli and Palestinian officials will meet soon in Washington. While this does not mean that both sides have agreed to formal peace talks for the first time since 2010, Middle East analysts say this is a hopeful sign and that Kerry's persistent diplomatic efforts are making progress.

美国国务卿克里星期五宣布，以色列和巴勒斯坦领导人将在华盛顿举行会谈。尽管这并不意味着双方同意正式恢复于2010年停止的和平谈判，但中东分析人士认为，这是一个富有希望的信号，表明克里国务卿不懈的外交努力获得了进展。

Kerry has made the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks a top priority, and on Friday he announced a breakthrough.

美国国务卿克里将恢复以巴和谈作为外交使命的一个优先议题，星期五他宣布这一议题有所突破。

"We have reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming direct, final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. This is a significant and welcome step forward," he said.

他说：“我们达成了一项协议，为巴勒斯坦人和以色列人之间重启直接的、有关最终地位的谈判奠定了基矗这是向前迈进并广受欢迎的重要一步。”

He made the announcement in Amman, Jordan, after returning from Ramallah, where he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

克里在约旦首都安曼宣布了这个消息。此前他访问了拉马拉，在那里会见了巴勒斯坦权力机构主席阿巴斯。

Kerry said details are being worked out, but Palestinian and Israeli officials will travel to Washington for initial talks within the next week or two. While this agreement is just a small step toward formal peace talks, regional experts say it is cause for hope.

克里表示，有关细节正在敲定过程之中，不过巴勒斯坦和以色列官员也就是在一两周内就能前往华盛顿举行初始谈判。尽管这个协议仅仅是正是和平谈判过程中的小小一步，但中东问题专家认为这一步骤给取得和平带来希望。

Daniel Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and Egypt, said Kerry’s comprehensive approach to bringing both sides to the table is the most serious diplomatic effort in the region in 20 years.

美国前驻以色列及埃及大使丹尼尔.库尔泽说，克里为把以巴双方拉回谈判桌所采用的全面广泛的方式是20年来在中东地区表现出的最严肃认真的外交努力。

“He’s brought the Arab states back to the game. He has appointed General [John] Allen to look at security issues. He’s focused very much on economic and business questions and as he’s been doing the last few days, in moving between Amman, Jordan and Ramallah in the West Bank, he obviously has been looking at the substantive issues to be negotiated,” said Kurtzer.

他说：“他把阿拉伯国家议题放进了全盘计划之中。他任命约翰艾伦将军负责安全议题。他对经济和商贸问题特别专注，他这些天来往来于安曼、约旦以及约旦河西岸的拉马拉，显然他在密切关注和谈中将涉及的实质性议题。”

There are no easy solutions to the issues that separate the two sides. The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with a capital in East Jerusalem. And they set as a condition to negotiations that Israel accept the pre-1967 borders, which would expand Palestinian territory.

造成以巴分歧的各种问题都没有容易的解决方案。巴勒斯坦希望在约旦河西岸和加沙地带建立一个独立国家，首都选址在东耶路撒冷。他们的谈判条件是要以色列接受1967年战前的边界，这就可以扩大巴勒斯坦的国土面积。

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there should be no conditions, and some hardliners in his cabinet reject any border changes.

以色列总理内塔尼亚胡说过，谈判是没有先决条件的，而他内阁中的强硬派官员在边境划分上拒绝任何改变。

Ori Nir, spokesman for the Jewish-American group Americans for Peace Now, said getting the two sides to even agree to talk about the border issue would be a significant achievement.

犹太裔美国人组织现在就和平的发言人奥利.尼尔说，让双方能坐下来讨论边境问题就已经是一项可观的成果了。

“If Secretary Kerry really has found a way to get around this issue and remove it as an obstacle, which it had been for a long time, for serious negotiations, then I think that further enhances the hope,” said Nir.

奥利.尼尔说：“如果克里国务卿真地在这个问题上找到了切入点，消除以巴之间这个由来已久障碍，推动认真的和谈，那末我认为就真的能进一步让希望成为可能了。”

VOA State Department Correspondent Scott Stearns is traveling with Kerry, and he said little information is being shared with the media about these sensitive talks.

跟随克里国务卿出访的美国之音国会记者斯特恩斯说，这些敏感会谈的内容信息几乎没有和媒体分享过。

“He [Kerry] has kept this entire process very quiet, and again said that candid, private conversations are the very best way to give these negotiations a chance,” said Stearns.

他说：“克里把整个过程都保护得密不透风，还再次表明，真诚、私下的对话是为谈判带来机会的最佳途径。”

This is the sixth trip Kerry has made to the Middle East since becoming secretary of state earlier this year.

今年稍早克里被任命国务卿一职以来，这是他访问中东的第六次行程。