Palestinian-Israeli talks: considerable differences still remain

Talks between Israeli and Palestinian representatives have ended without much progress being reached on the road to solving the Mideast conflict. At the end of the latest round of discussions at the Erez crossing, between Israel and Gaza, an Israeli official said wide gaps still existed, BBC reports. At the same time, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s aide said further contacts could lead to an agreement. Palestinian officials said crossing points between Gaza and Israel, except for the main Erez Crossing, were reopened and they expected Gaza International Airport would be operational on Friday. Israel closed the airport this month after a car bomb exploded in the Israeli town of Netanya.