MIDDLE EAST Israeli and Palestinian leaders traded blame and demanded concessions from each other after their talks in New York this week with US president Barack Obama, in a sign of the hurdles he will face in his efforts for a quick resumption of peace negotiations.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, said on Thursday in an interview with the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper that the Palestinians did not have “a common ground for discussion” with the Israeli government. He criticised Israel for its unwillingness to tackle core issues such as the future of Jerusalem and repatriation of Palestinian refugees.
