RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinians on Thursday responded coolly to a White House announcement that President Barack Obama will not bring any bold new peace initiatives to the region next month, saying there is no hope for reviving serious negotiations unless the U.S. leader is personally involved.
The Palestinians' comments reflected their sense of desperation after four years of deadlocked peace efforts with Israel, and raised the pressure on Obama to extract new concessions from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a setback for Netanyahu, a close political ally criticized Israel's settlement policies, saying continued construction deep inside the West Bank has undermined Israel's credibility and could threaten the country's long-term survival.
"We could pay a great price," Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor, a senior member of Netanyahu's Likud Party, warned on Israeli Radio.
The White House said this week that Obama would make his first presidential visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories this spring, setting off speculation that he was coming to restart peace efforts.
On Wednesday, the White House moved quickly to play down expectations, saying the primary goal of the visit was to repair the strained relationship with Netanyahu, not to present a new diplomatic initiative. Both Obama and Netanyahu are just beginning new terms in office.
The Palestinians welcomed news of the visit, but implored Obama to take a more hands-on approach than he did during his first term.
Read more http://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-officials-obama-must-pressure-israel-182405729.html
Read more http://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-officials-obama-must-pressure-israel-182405729.html
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