U.S. President Barak Obama will host a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the United Nations later this month, according to a report by an American news outlet, Xinhua reported.
Israeli President Shimon Peres told Fox News that Obama will moderate a summit between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, paving the way for the resumption of the peace process.
"I think they will meet by the end of September," Peres said during the Sunday interview. "President Obama will chair it, and I think that at least there is a chance that they will decide they are going to reopen negotiations."
Hamas would not be represented at the talks, he added.
The three leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's annual debate, which begins on Sept. 23.
Both the Israeli and U.S. missions to the UN declined to confirm whether the talks would take place.
Abbas has repeatedly said that negotiations cannot begin again until Israel agrees to halt construction of its settlements in the West Bank, as per the 2003 "road map."
The peace plan, which is backed by the international community, commits Israel to dismantling settler outposts and freezing "all settlement activity," including building to accommodate "natural growth."
The Obama administration has taken a tough stance on Jewish settlements in the West Bank, calling for a complete freeze on all settlement activity.
Peres warned against making the issue of natural growth into a bigger obstacle than need be.
"I think it would be right for the Obama administration and for our administration and for the Palestinians to handle the whole set of steps, not a single one, because if you are singling out one, maybe the least important is becoming the most important, and that's the case of natural growth," he said.
"Negotiations are going on," Peres said. "I do believe there is a solution for it as well. ... It must be soon. It's very hard to convince your own people to make so many concessions -- to take so many risks."
He added that Netanyahu "is aware of the choice, and he knows there is no chance, no escape, no alternative to go ahead and make peace. He knows he must do it ... it's just not a simple proposition."
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