Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday added weight to recent speculation that peace talks could soon resume between Israel and the Palestinians, telling lawmakers from his Likud party that he sensed “a change in the air.”

“In recent weeks I have felt that there is a certain change in the air, and I hope that this will mature, allowing the start of the diplomatic process,” Netanyahu told the Likud Knesset faction.

“Israel is ready for a peace process with the Palestinian Authority, without preconditions,” he said, adding that he has urged the Palestinians to enter such negotiations since he formed his government in April.

“We are serious in our intentions to reach a peace agreement,” he said, but cautioned that “diplomatic plans said to be in my name that have appeared in the media have no truth to them.”

But Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Quartet peace envoy Tony Blair earlier Monday that the prospects of Israel and the Palestinians reaching a final-status agreement within two years were unrealistic.

“It is important to hold an honest, open dialogue with the Palestinians without sowing delusions that are disconnected with reality and that will only lead to violence and frustration,” Lieberman told the former British premier. “It is not possible to reach a full agreement within two years.”

“This is not a realistic goal,” the foreign minister said. “We need to begin direct talks without committing to any timeframe.”

“In the past, timetables were set and not met and this led to violence,” Lieberman went on.

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