Abbas Praises Obama Administration for Its ‘Position’ on Israel

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is hoping the U.N. Security Council vote gives his side leverage at a multinational peace conference to take place in France next month. The conference could allow nations to endorse a framework for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians that calls for an end to settlements, meaning Jewish

communities in Judea and Samaria, Israel’s biblical heartland. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says only direct negotiations will bring peace. Abbas praised the Obama administration for “its position” on the matter. Last week, the outgoing U.S. president refused to veto Resolution 2334. READ MORE