The United Nations has welcomed the first peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians in three years.

Diplomats from both sides have been participating in discussions in Washington, hosted by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

The UN's Middle East Quarter partners, the EU, Russia and the US have each welcomed the development. 

"Time for Palestinian people to have an independent sovereign state"

Speaking yesterday, Israel's chief negotiator Tzipi Livni said: "I can assure you that in these negotiations, it's not our intention to argue about the past, but to create solutions and make decisions for the future."

"I believe that history is not made by cynics. It is made by realists who are not afraid to dream. And let us be these people," she insisted.

"No one benefits more from the success of this endeavor than Palestinians," Saeb Erakat agreed. "It's time for the Palestinian people to have an independent sovereign state of their own."

Both sides have agreed to meet again "within the next two weeks," either in Israel or the Palestinian territories, to begin formal direct, bilateral negotiations, Kerry said.