Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon on Friday praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas for launching direct peace talks this week. 'Canada commends prime minister Netanyahu and president Abbas on taking this important first step toward a peace agreement,' Cannon said in a statement 'We also welcome the parties' commitment to meet at regular intervals over the course of the next year,' he added, in reference to a pledge by both sides to meet as frequently as every two weeks for ongoing talks. The two leaders traveled to Washington this week for their first direct talks since December 2008, amid a new US push to achieve a peace deal in a year. As the talks started, militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for a shooting attack in the West Bank that killed four Israeli settlers. Both Israel and the Palestinian leadership condemned the attack, and a second shooting attack, also in the West Bank, and said they would not succeed in halting negotiations. Cannon said Canada urged 'the parties to remain steadfast in their efforts to keep negotiations on track toward peace, despite the obstacles which opponents of this process may put in their way.' 