Abbas says willing to meet with Netanyahu during stay in New York

[Jefferson23]

Abbas in New York pushing ahead with plans to seek full UN membership for a Palestinian state, a move the United States and Israel say could lead to disaster.
By Haaretz


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Fox News that he was willing to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their mutual stay in New York, Monday. Abbas is currently in New York holding meetings in preparation for UN Security Council vote on Palestinian statehood status.

"I will meet any Israeli official any time," said Abbas, though he added that “there is no use if there is nothing tangible."

Earlier, Abbas met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the UN headquarters and reaffirmed that he planned to ask this week for a Security Council vote on Palestinian membership despite the certainty of a US veto, his spokesman Nabil Abu Rdaineh said.

Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu called Abbas to meet with him in New York in a statement Netanyahu gave before leaving for the UN headquarters where he will be trying to thwart the Palestinian statehood bid, YNet reported.

Israeli officials, meanwhile, have said the Palestinian move could spur retaliation - which could exacerbate the financial crisis facing the Palestinian Authority because of a shortfall in aid from Arab states.

in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-says-willing-to-meet-with-netanyahu-during-stay-in-new-york-1.385404