Areikat describes the importance of the talks to the Palestinians. "We are living under a military occupation that is denying our basic rights and preventing us from progressing economically, socially, culturally…we are the ones who are paying the highest price for the lack of peace," said the envoy.

The U.S. has said that the full scope of the proximity talks will not be made public. And for now, there's no word on when the next cycle of talks will begin.