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NEWS ABOUT: Mahmoud Abbas

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Hamas, Fatah Agree to Unite

And this time, they mean it

(Newser) - Palestine's rival factions, Hamas and Fatah, say they've finally agreed on a deal for a unified government, hoping to present a united front in their negotiations with Israel. Of course, they said the same thing last spring . That deal hit the rocks because the sides couldn't agree... More »

Palestinians Just Want Land, Not Peace

They will never accept an end to war with Israel: Charles Krauthammer

(Newser) - Much of the world swooned over Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' bid for statehood at the UN because it buys into the misconception that Israel is stubbornly standing in the way of peace, writes Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post . Far from it. The Palestinians have rejected three land-for-peace offers over... More »

Abbas Hails 'Palestinian Spring' in Hero's Welcome

Triumphant president returns home

(AP) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has received a hero's welcome in the West Bank, triumphantly telling his people the "Palestinian Spring" has begun following his historic speech to the UN last week. Abbas asked the world body on Friday to recognize Palestinian independence, defying appeals from Israel and the... More »

Palestinians Request UN Membership

Abbas makes formal appeal to UN chief Ban Ki-Moon

(AP) - Defying US and Israeli opposition, Palestinians asked the United Nations today to accept them as a member state. In his letter accompanying the application, Mahmoud Abbas asked UN chief Ban Ki-moon to immediately forward the request for full UN membership to the Security Council. Action on the membership request could... More »

Ehud Olmert: Israel Needs Peace Now

Time for Netanyahu to get serious, says former PM

(Newser) - Israel and Palestine seem on a collision course for a diplomatic confrontation at the UN, but “things could and should have been different,” writes former PM Ehud Olmert in an op-ed for the New York Times . “The parameters of a peace deal are well known,” he... More »

Sarkozy, Obama to Abbas: Drop UN Membership Bid

Presidents will make their appeal today

(AP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama plan to heap pressure on their Palestinian counterpart today in a concerted push to persuade Mahmoud Abbas to end his bid for full UN membership and to instead seek upgraded status in the world body. The presidents will make their pitches... More »

Obama to Meet With Palestinian Leader at UN

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,... More »

Deal in Works to Prevent US-Palestine UN Showdown

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... More »

'All Hell' Breaks Out in Palestine's Statehood Bid

US lawmakers threaten to nix funding

(Newser) - "All hell has broken out" in Palestine's bid for statehood recognition at the UN, says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The United States has threatened to veto it, Israel opposes it, and dozens of House Democrats have penned a letter saying the US "will reconsider its assistance program"... More »

Abbas: We're Going for Statehood

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,... More »

5 Reasons US Should Allow Palestinian State

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
... More »

Palestinians to Buck US, Seek Statehood

They hope it'll strengthen negotiating position with Israel

(Newser) - Barring some kind of last-minute diplomatic magic trick, Mahmoud Abbas will ask the UN Security Council for membership next week, the Palestinian foreign minister said today—even as US diplomats traveled to the West Bank for last-ditch negotiating efforts. “We will see if anyone carries … any credible offer,... More »

Abbas Ousts Cabinet in Move Toward Elections

Announcement follows departure of ally Mubarak

(Newser) - Taking a step on the path toward new elections, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas today called on his prime minister to assemble a new cabinet. Officials said presidential and parliamentary elections would take place by September, though Hamas says it won't take part, the Wall Street Journal reports. The announcement... More »

Netanyahu to Abbas: Let's Do Nonstop Talks

Israeli PM apparently trying to jumpstart peace talks

(Newser) - Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to head back to the negotiating table with Mahmoud Abbas—and stay there until a deal is struck, reports the AP. Seeking to jumpstart Mideast peace talks that stalled in September, Netanyahu said today that he's "ready to immediately sit down for continuous,... More »

Obama, Mideast's Onetime Savior, Now More a Pariah

Transcendence runs right into hard reality of stalemate

(Newser) - When Barack Obama entered office, he was seen as the fresh new hope for peace in the Middle East—but now, he’s seen as a part of the problem, Politico interviews with Israelis and Palestinians suggest. After Obama finally got Israel to temporarily freeze West Bank settlement-building, there’s... More »

Construction Begins as Settlement Freeze Expires

But Mahmoud Abbas not leaving peace talks yet

(Newser) - Bulldozers were already working to construct Jewish West Bank settlements this morning, after Israel’s construction freeze expired at midnight, but Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas did not immediately abandon the peace talks as he had threatened. Abbas will instead consult with Arab leaders and allow another week before making a... More »

As Talks Stall, Violence Flares in East Jerusalem

Private security guard fatally shoots Palestinian man

(Newser) - Unrest rippled through East Jerusalem today after the fatal shooting of a Palestinian man, the LA Times reports. It comes amid stalled progress on the new round of peace talks. The shooting by a private security guard employed by Jewish residents in a majority-Arab area provided the spark for clashes... More »

Clinton Kicks Off Mideast Peace Talks With Pep Talk

She expresses confidence, acknowledges 'we've been here before'

(Newser) - And they're off: Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas have begun formal peace talks after a public pep talk from Hillary Clinton. How intractable is their task? The Washington Post headline begins "Clinton Urges Patience," while the New York Times says "Clinton Calls for Bold Steps." One... More »

Obama Hopeful as Mideast Talks Begin

Israeli PM calls Abbas his 'partner in peace'

(Newser) - President Obama told reporters he was "cautiously hopeful" as Mideast peace talks began in Washington yesterday. The president—flanked by the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, and Jordan—urged the leaders to seize the opportunity to make a breakthrough, and vowed to do everything in his power... More »

Israelis, Palestinians to Resume Peace Talks: Clinton

A victory for Obama, Clinton—but peace a long way off

(Newser) - It's official: After a 20-month hiatus, Israeli and Palestinian leaders will resume direct peace talks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced today that talks will begin Sept. 2 in Washington, with the goal of reaching a settlement within one year, the AP reports . "There have been difficulties in the... More »

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