US Near Deal to Restart Mideast Talks

Netanyahu praises stance as 'badge of honor'

(NEWSER) - No big surprises in President Obama's address on Palestinian statehood today: He reaffirmed US opposition to a Security Council vote on the matter and said it had to be accomplished through Israeli-Palestinian negotiations instead, reports the Wall Street Journal . The takeaway quote: "There is no shortcut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades," Obama said. "Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations." More»

He'll also meet with Netanyahu as Perry, Romney hammer policies

(NEWSER) - If there is indeed a deal in the works to postpone a US-Palestinian showdown on statehood, the two leaders will get to hash it out in person. President Obama will meet Mahmoud Abbas at the UN tomorrow, the AP reports. Obama will meet separately with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, sources tell Haaretz that votes on statehood in the Security Council and General Assembly are likely to be postponed for weeks or longer, presumably so negotiators can resume peace talks. More»

Mahmoud Abbas would submit a letter, but not force a vote

(NEWSER) - The international community is hammering out a deal that would spare the US from having to veto Palestine’s move for statehood . There are several ideas floating about, but all revolve around the premise that Mahmoud Abbas would deliver a letter to the Security Council requesting statehood, but would not actually force a vote, US, European, Israeli and Palestinian diplomats tell CNN . “We don’t need to see a vote right away,” one Palestinian diplomat said. More»

Palestinian leader says he needs world to 'recognize the occupation'

(NEWSER) - It’s official: Mahmoud Abbas will demand full UN membership from the Security Council next week, despite an almost certain veto from the US. Abbas formally committed to the gambit for the first time in a speech today, the New York Times reports, saying that “We need a state, a seat at the United Nations, and nothing more.” The US had hoped it could talk Abbas out of the move. More»

If Palestinians wait much longer, it will be too late: Reza Aslan

(NEWSER) - Palestinians plan to push for full statehood in the UN later this month, and the US vows to block them. Reza Aslan offers five reasons in the Los Angeles Times why America should buck Israel ("it is not political suicide") and change its mind:

• Failed talks: Twenty years of negotiations toward a Palestinian state have gone nowhere, even as the number of Israelis in the West Bank has tripled in that time to 300,000. "A few more years and practically nothing will remain."