Netanyahu turns fire on Abbas as U.S. envoy flies in

[bemildred]

????? Pissing off Turkey was not enough?

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mocked the Palestinian leadership on Wednesday for rejecting U.S. calls for peace negotiations, as President Barack Obama's envoy prepared for new talks.

Addressing foreign media, Netanyahu attacked President Mahmoud Abbas for refusing to end a year-old suspension of talks until Israel stops building settlements. "The Palestinians have climbed up a tree," Netanyahu said. "And they like it up there.

"People bring ladders to them. We bring ladders to them. The higher the ladder, the higher they climb."

Diplomats have used such images in recent months to describe efforts by Obama's envoy George Mitchell and others to promote some face-saving way for Abbas to retreat from a condition he has set.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60J5U020100120