Mahmoud Abbas news stories on Newser

Palestinians Honor Helen Thomas

John Johnson — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:57:29 CDT

When Helen Thomas said Jewish people should "get the hell out of Palestine," the outcry forced her into retirement from the White House press corps in 2010. (Not that she was all that apologetic afterward.) Now Palestinians are giving her a little thank-you. A representative of Palestinian Authority chief...

Hamas, Fatah Agree to Unite

Kevin Spak — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:56:28 CST

Palestine's rival factions, Hamas and Fatah, say they've finally agreed on a deal for a unified government, hoping to present a united front in their negotiations with Israel. Of course, they said the same thing last spring . That deal hit the rocks because the sides couldn't agree on a prime...

Palestinians Just Want Land, Not Peace

John Johnson — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:01:40 CDT

Much of the world swooned over Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' bid for statehood at the UN because it buys into the misconception that Israel is stubbornly standing in the way of peace, writes Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post . Far from it. The Palestinians have rejected three land-for-peace offers over...

Abbas Hails 'Palestinian Spring' in Hero's Welcome

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 08:41:31 CDT

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has received a hero's welcome in the West Bank, triumphantly telling his people the "Palestinian Spring" has begun following his historic speech to the UN last week. Abbas asked the world body on Friday to recognize Palestinian independence, defying appeals from Israel and the United States...

Palestinians Request UN Membership

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:13:14 CDT

Defying US and Israeli opposition, Palestinians asked the United Nations today to accept them as a member state. In his letter accompanying the application, Mahmoud Abbas asked UN chief Ban Ki-moon to immediately forward the request for full UN membership to the Security Council. Action on the membership request could...

Ehud Olmert: Israel Needs Peace Now

Kevin Spak — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:41:01 CDT

Israel and Palestine seem on a collision course for a diplomatic confrontation at the UN, but “things could and should have been different,” writes former PM Ehud Olmert in an op-ed for the New York Times . “The parameters of a peace deal are well known,” he says, outlining the two-state...

Sarkozy, Obama to Abbas: Drop UN Membership Bid

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:26:12 CDT

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama plan to heap pressure on their Palestinian counterpart today in a concerted push to persuade Mahmoud Abbas to end his bid for full UN membership and to instead seek upgraded status in the world body. The presidents will make their pitches...

Obama to Meet With Palestinian Leader at UN

John Johnson — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:10:42 CDT

If there is indeed a deal in the works to postpone a US-Palestinian showdown on statehood, the two leaders will get to hash it out in person. President Obama will meet Mahmoud Abbas at the UN tomorrow, the AP reports. Obama will meet separately with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, sources...

Deal in Works to Prevent US-Palestine UN Showdown

Kevin Spak — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:48:21 CDT

The international community is hammering out a deal that would spare the US from having to veto Palestine’s move for statehood . There are several ideas floating about, but all revolve around the premise that Mahmoud Abbas would deliver a letter to the Security Council requesting statehood, but would not actually...