Middle East quartet envoy Tony Blair has said he believes that a peace deal between Israel and Palestine could "definitely" be reached this year.
In an interview with the Times newspaper, the former prime minister said solving the longstanding confrontation would help boost moderate forces in the region and that an agreement between the two sides was of paramount importance to securing world peace.
He told the paper: "This is a deal that could definitely be done, and it could definitely be done this year."