Obama puts Israel-Palestinian issue on hold for his second term

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report June 27, 2011, 9:47 AM (GMT+02:00)

Israel-Palestinian talks: "A second-term issue"

President Barack Obama has decided to shelve any serious effort to generate Israel-Palestinian negotiations for at least two years, debkafile's exclusive sources report from Washington.
"It's a second term issue," he is quoted as telling his advisers. Only in November 2012 will he know if he is returned for another term as president and then too is unlikely to get back to the Israeli-Palestinian issue for several more months – "depending largely how the Arab Revolt" goes, according to a senior administration official.
Conscious of this delay, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas convened the PLO Executive Committee in Ramallah Sunday, June 26, with a request to endorse his application to the UN General Assembly in September for recognition of a Palestinian state. After the endorsement was in his pocket, he announced he would turn to the UN only if talks with Israel were not revived before September.
Abbas is fully aware of the Obama administration's objections to his unilateral application to the UN and its commitment to veto any UN Security Council motion approving Palestinian membership of the world body. The Palestinians also know they risk losing their $600 million aid package from America if their UN initiative goes forward. Read the rest on: DEBKAfile