Abbas Accepts Invitation to Meet With Obama in Washington

[crateb]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04 ... latestnews

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accepted an invitation to visit the White House for a meeting with President Obama, senior Palestinian officials told Fox News.

The invitation was extended by Obama's Middle East envoy George Mitchell during a weekend visit to the region where he was trying to restart indirect peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. Mitchell is expected to return next week, signaling he is making progress.

The visits come amid rising tensions between Washington and Jerusalem. But the State Department reported that Mitchell had "positive and productive talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders" during his three-day visit.

"His meetings continued our efforts to improve the atmosphere for peace and for proceeding with proximity talks," spokesman P.J. Crowley said in a written statement.

Abbas needs to decide whether to engage with Israel, with Mitchell as a go-between, even though Israel has rejected his demands to freeze new construction for Jews in east Jerusalem, the Palestinians' hoped-for capital.

A senior Palestinian official said Abbas was inclined to agree to the talks, in large part because of personal appeals in recent days from Obama, Mitchell and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

[Cactus Jack]

I personally think it's good move to open up a dialogue with people like Abbas.

I know that many think we shouldn't be talking to them, but unless we give it a shot nothing will ever change. Muslims are people too and they have the same kind of hopes and dreams we do. Family, security, prosperity, hope for the future. I think we have an obligation to try and bring about more peace in the world because unless we try we will never know whether it is possible.

If we try, and fail, then at least we gave it a shot. If, however, we succeed then it was the right thing to do all along and future generations will thank us.

[crateb]

I personally think it's good move to open up a dialogue with people like Abbas.

I know that many think we shouldn't be talking to them, but unless we give it a shot nothing will ever change. Muslims are people too and they have the same kind of hopes and dreams we do. Family, security, prosperity, hope for the future. I think we have an obligation to try and bring about more peace in the world because unless we try we will never know whether it is possible.

If we try, and fail, then at least we gave it a shot. If, however, we succeed then it was the right thing to do all along and future generations will thank us.

Abbas is Palestine, Palenstine is Hamas no? PLO? Just who are they? What group? I ask for a reason.

[Cactus Jack]

I personally think it's good move to open up a dialogue with people like Abbas.

I know that many think we shouldn't be talking to them, but unless we give it a shot nothing will ever change. Muslims are people too and they have the same kind of hopes and dreams we do. Family, security, prosperity, hope for the future. I think we have an obligation to try and bring about more peace in the world because unless we try we will never know whether it is possible.

If we try, and fail, then at least we gave it a shot. If, however, we succeed then it was the right thing to do all along and future generations will thank us.

Abbas is Palestine, Palenstine is Hamas no? PLO? Just who are they? What group? I ask for a reason.

Yes, he's the chairman of the PLO. However, I'm not one of these people who thinks you cannot open a diaglogue with those who oppose you. I am an advocate of a two state solution in the middle east. The Palestinians must have a nation of their own or this violence will never end.

I believe we should be talking to the PLO, Iran and anybody else that we have disagreements with. Why? Because it is only through opening a dialogue that we can understand each other better. I am so tired of the demonising of those who oppose us and their demonising of us. It is pointless and hopeless. It is a dead end with nothing but violence, death and war at the end of the road.

We can make the world a better place, and it's not by shutting out those we disagree with but engaging them in a dialogue in an attempt to listen, to understand each other better and to forge a path for lasting peace.