World Jewish News

Photo by Haaretz.com

Obama, Abbas to hold White House meet next month

President Barack Obama will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House on June 9.
In a statement, the White House said the two leaders will discuss the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks and ways the U.S. can work with both parties to move into direct talks. They also will discuss U.S. efforts to support the establishment of a Palestinian state.
While the meeting had been announced previously, the date had not.
The president's discussions with Abbas will come a week after he hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House to talk about similar issues.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday invited Netanyahu to Washington for talks with the U.S. President Obama on regional peace and security.
"On behalf of the President I am happy to extend an invitation to visit President Obama in the White House for a working meeting to discuss our shared security interests, as well as our close co-operation in achieving peace between Israel and its neighbors," Emanuel told Netanyahu at the prime minister's Jerusalem office.
Israeli sources said that Obama's snap decision to invite Netanyahu to Washington was an attempt to obliterate the memory of the two leaders' previous White House meeting in March, when reporters were barred and the White House did not release a joint photograph. The apparent contrast with Obama's warm and well-publicized meetings with Arab leaders in Washington was viewed in Israel as a deliberate snub.
The March meeting revealed serious differences of opinion between the two men, especially over Jewish construction in East Jerusalem. Netanyahu also failed to satisfy the U.S. with his answers to Obama's questions on final-status positions in the event of a peace deal with the Palestinians.
Israeli officials expect the upcoming meeting will include a photograph of the two leaders in the Oval Office and perhaps even a joint press conference.

Haaretz.com