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Abbas: 'Willing' to Extend Talks

CBN

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he's willing to extend the current round of U.S.-brokered talks based on the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, but Israel didn't seem eager to play ball any more after unilateral Palestinian moves.

The announcement followed Wednesday's meeting in Cairo with Arab League member nations, which approved of extending the talks while blaming Israel for the impasse. On the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered cabinet ministers and other senior officials to refrain from high-level meetings with the P.A., outside of security-related issues.

Abbas told reporters in Cairo he would extend the deadline providing Israel agreed to the pre-1967 lines as the borders for a Palestinian state and release more prisoners. He also said he had no intentions of withdrawing the applications for membership in 15 international organizations and conventions.

P.A. Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said the Arab League pledged $100 million monthly should Israel withhold the $75 million in monthly tax transfers in response to the move.

Netanyahu said Israel would weigh its response to Abbas' unilateral move, which could include using the tax revenues to repay the P.A.'s huge debts to the Israel Electric Corporation and Israeli hospitals.

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