U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) stands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during their meeting in Abu Dhabi October 31, 2009, in this picture released by the Palestinian Press Office (PPO). REUTERS/Thaer Ganaim/PPO/HandoutClinton Meets Abbas And Israel to Push Peace Talks -- Yahoo News/Reuters
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton failed on Saturday to persuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resume talks with Israel, a spokesman for Abbas said, citing Jewish settlements as a stumbling block.
Clinton, ramping up efforts by U.S. President Barack Obama to revive negotiations suspended since December, flew to Israel after seeing Abbas in Abu Dhabi. After meetings in Jerusalem with officials, she was due to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the evening.
"There was no breakthrough in the talks," Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah told Reuters by telephone from Abu Dhabi.
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More On Secretary of State Clinton's Middle East Peace Initiative
Clinton makes personal bid to resume Mideast talks -- AP
Palestinians Rebuff Clinton Peace Overture -- Wall Street Journal/AP
Clinton meets with Netanyahu in Jerusalem -- Haaretz
Huge Gaps Ahead as Clinton Pushes for Resumption of Israeli-Palestinian Talks -- Voice of America
“Nothing new” says Abbas after meeting Clinton -- Euronews
Abbas refuses to resume peace talks -- Al Jazeera
My Comment: From the Palestinian point of view, these talks were a complete waste of time.