UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared before world leaders Wednesday that he is no longer bound by agreements signed with Israel and called on the United Nations to provide international protection for Palestinians, in the most serious warning yet that he might walk away from engagement with the Jewish state. Abbas, however, stopped short of accompanying his threat with a deadline or giving any specifics, leaving room for diplomatic maneuvers to refocus the world's attention on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Abbas did not say how he will move forward. He also avoided mentioning a mainstay of Israeli-Palestinian relations - security coordination between his security forces and Israeli forces in the West Bank against a shared enemy, the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to denounce Abbas' speech.
In a statement issued by his office, Netanyahu said Abbas' "speech of lies encourages incitement and unrest in the Middle East."
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Poster Comment:
Palestinians rattling the sabre; the Pope visits the UN; Iran on pace to have nukes; Russians fighting in Syria. Like reading a Joel Rosenberg novel:)
