(Thumbnail image: Yariv Katz)

Vice President Joe Biden is calling indirect Palestinian and Israeli talks a “moment of real opportunity.”

But so far, both sides are skeptical that American involvement in the region will lead to success.

In the Christian Science Monitor, an Israeli parliament member says he's insulted that it’s Mr. Biden that’s involved—rather than President Obama.

“...we see it [as] nothing short of an insult that President Obama is not coming.  He is apparently unwilling to actually come and see firsthand the results of his disastrous policy of pressuring Israel into unilateral concessions to the Palestinians.”

 
On France 24, a representative for the Palestinian Authority says Palestinians are hesitant to cooperate with the Americans.

"If the price that we will pay for saying yes to Mitchell will be more settlements and more incursions and more dictations, that's a big question mark about the possibility of continuing."

New York Times Jerusalem Bureau chief Ethan Bronner tells MSNBC Palestinians and Israelis -- not the US-- are to blame if the talks fail.

Bronner: "I think there is a way to cut a deal, I mean, I think that the way the deal should be structured is fairly clear. The problem is that neither side seems willing to make the sacrifices to make that deal work."

And on an Al Jazeera English broadcast, the director of an Egyptian state-financed research center says there is still hope that the talks will bring positive results.

"I don't think at the end of the four months major change will happen, but in any case the talks themselves could be a tool to bring change to a number of arenas, including Palestine and Israel, and including also the inter-Arab relations. If these talks turn to be serious talks, perhaps we could see change in Hamas' position."

So will renewed U.S. involvement in Middle East peace talks bring success? Or will it further decades-old bickering?

Writers: Elizabeth Eberlin and Ileana Llorens