Israel and Palestine to resume talks following three-year hiatus A man waves the Palestinian flag near the West Bank city of Ramallah. Picture: Majdi Mohammed Source: AP ISRAELI and Palestinian negotiators are set to meet in Washington next week for a round of talks after a three-year break. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Palestinian official told AFP the Palestinian delegation would be led by chief negotiator Saeb Erakat with the Israelis headed by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni. US officials would also take part, he added. The sides were expected to meet for an informal dinner on Monday evening, he said. Israel's Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom said on Thursday that talks could resume on Tuesday but neither the date nor venue have so far been officially confirmed. Israeli media say that Livni, Israel's designated chief negotiator, would be accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's personal envoy Yitzhak Molcho. "According to senior officials in Jerusalem, the meeting in Washington is expected to deal primarily with the agenda for holding negotiations, including the subjects to be discussed and the timetable," Haaretz daily wrote on Thursday. On Saturday, Haaretz and public radio reported Israel was expected to release more than 100 Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners in stages during the talks, which are expected to last for six to nine months. An Israeli official said this week that the release of "around 80" long-serving Palestinian prisoners was being considered. The agenda for Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting says Netanyahu will tell ministers about the resumption of the talks, and also ask them to approve the "release of Palestinian prisoners during the course of negotiations." It did not give a number.