Israel and the international community signaled new optimism on Thursday that the deadlock that has prevented a resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority may soon be broken, after PA officials indicated that elections scheduled for January 24 would not go ahead.
Abbas had said he would not run in the elections, meaning he was coming to the end of his period in power. With the vote off, however, Abbas had become a viable partner again, Israeli and foreign officials said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy phoned Abbas on Thursday to discuss conditions for the renewal of the diplomatic process. And while it is understood that the US does not anticipate substantive negotiations resuming in the next two weeks, there is renewed optimism that the path to new talks can be cleared.
The talks on Monday at the White House between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu focused heavily on the Palestinian issue, with extensive discussion on the "practical steps" both Israel and the Palestinians could take to enable a renewed dialogue, and to boost the prospects of such a dialogue bearing fruit.
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