Israel, Palestinians agree to resume talks

Mother of Palestinian Fares Baroud, who has been held in an Israeli prison for 22 years, cries as she holds his picture after hearing news on the possible release of her son at her house in Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on July 28, 2013. Baroud is expected to be among the 104 Arab prisoners to be released by Israeli authorities in a step to renew stalled peace talks with the Palestinians. The 22-member cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to free prisoners by a vote of 13 in favour, seven against and two abstentions. AFP PHOTO/MOHAMMED ABEDMOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images less Mother of Palestinian Fares Baroud, who has been held in an Israeli prison for 22 years, cries as she holds his picture after hearing news on the possible release of her son at her house in Shati refugee camp ... more Photo: Mohammed Abed, AFP/Getty Images Photo: Mohammed Abed, AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Israel, Palestinians agree to resume talks 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Jerusalem --

The United States on Sunday announced that Israeli-Palestinian talks will resume this week following years of stalemate. The deal to return to negotiations came after Israel's Cabinet agreed to release 104 Palestinian prisoners convicted of deadly attacks.

The return to direct contacts between the sides gave U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry his first concrete achievement after months of shuttle diplomacy.

The U.S. said preliminary talks would begin Monday, but it remains unclear whether they will lead to a formal resumption of peace talks that broke down in 2008.

Earlier Sunday, the Israeli Cabinet voted 13-7, with two abstentions, to approve in principle the release of 104 Palestinian prisoners. The release is a key part of the Kerry-brokered deal to restart peace talks.

The State Department said Kerry called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after the Cabinet vote and invited them to send teams to Washington.

State Department spokeswoman Jan Psaki said the teams would meet Monday and Tuesday to "develop a procedural plan for how the parties can proceed with the negotiations in the coming months."

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Abbas aide Mohammed Shtayyeh will represent the Palestinians, and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and adviser Yitzhak Molcho will attend for Israel.

Netanyahu, seeking to overcome stiff opposition from ultranationalists, told his Cabinet that "resuming the political process at this time is important for Israel," noting that any deal would be submitted to a national referendum.

Erekat welcomed the vote on the prisoners as a "step toward peace," one he said is long overdue.

Negotiators made progress in previous rounds, and the outlines of a deal have emerged - a Palestinian state in most of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands captured by Israel in 1967, with border adjustments to enable Israel to annex land with a majority of nearly 600,000 settlers.

Those negotiations broke down before the sides could tackle the most explosive issues, a partition of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, now several million people.