Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, undoubtedly under pressure from the Obama administration, has backed off his latest threat to halt the American-led direct talks with Israel.
He told the French news agency AFP Monday, “We have committed to continue the negotiations for nine months, regardless of what happens on the ground.”
However he added that at the conclusion, “We will take the appropriate decision.” The statement is open to interpretation but all logic points to one direct – a direct request to the United Nations Security Official for recognition of the Palestinian Authority as a country based on his own definition of borders.
From Kerry’s standpoint, the talks will end with a mutual agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, but all actions and words by both sides show that they simply are playing along with the Obama administration until “game over.”