(New York Times) Jodi Rudoren - When Israel suspended the stalemated negotiations on Thursday, it did so with Washington's tacit blessing. PA President Mahmoud Abbas has recently played a variety of cards in hopes of improving his position. He took steps to join 15 international conventions, threatened to dissolve his government, and made a deal with Hamas, the militant Islamic group that is widely reviled in the West. The gambles drew repeated rebukes from Washington. Giora Eiland, a former Israeli national security adviser, said Abbas, "by his own behavior, has pushed himself to be perceived as a very extreme person who will never be able to reach an agreement with us."
2014-04-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive