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BY TRACY PFEIFFER

Middle East peace talks are set to resume in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, for the first time since 2008.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will sit down to discuss the future of their people, overseen by the United States. (Video: CTV)

And a writer for The National Interest says U.S. President Barack Obama may be the force that makes or breaks the proceedings.

“Netanyahu ... is a reluctant convert to the two-state solution. Abbas is a reluctant negotiator who has been dragged to the table ... This is where Obama is so critical. He must become the ultimate deal maker. He must expend time and political capital to get an agreement. Fortunately, unlike his predecessor, he understands how vital a peace agreement is to American national security.”

But a blogger for The Hill says Mr. Obama is setting himself up for failure because of a refusal to put down guiding principles for the negotiations.

“Without such clear terms, Israel is free to marshal its overwhelming asymmetry of power in relation to the Palestinians to disregard its obligations ... Instead, as in previous failed rounds of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Palestinian rights will be subordinated to Israeli ‘security interests’.”

If there’s one thing analysts agree on, it’s that the president and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have their work cut out for them.  The Wall Street Journal explains one of the most controversial issues at the table: Israeli construction in Palestinian territories.

“The peace talks could collapse at birth.  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas demands the current Israeli settlement freeze in the West Bank continue.  But Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu says the settlements have a natural population growth rate that must allow some controlled construction.  Palestinians in Bethlehem see these growing communities around them choking them off while they feel imprisoned in their walled-in city.”

On MSNBC, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel says the talks may also have to broach the subject of Hamas, which currently controls the Gaza Strip.

Martin Indyk: “Hamas, as you say, controls part of the territory in which the Palestinian state is supposed to be created by these negotiations.  And Hamas is opposed to negotiations themselves and to making peace with Israel ... In the end, if they reach an agreement, it will have to be put to a referendum of the Palestinian people.”

Finally, an editorial writer for the New York Times poses some of the biggest questions leading into the talks.

“Does President Abbas, already a weakened figure, have the courage to defend the necessary concessions to his people? ... Does Prime Minister Netanyahu have the determination to withdraw from at least 95 percent of the West Bank? ... And does President Obama have the statesmanship ... to reassure them that the United States will be there with a safety net if it fails?”

So what do you think?  Will President Obama’s new peace talks lead to change or will they fall flat like in the past?