Abbas predicts 'very difficult' time for Palestinians after UN bid

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that he expects a "very difficult" situation after the Palestinians submit their request for full membership at the United Nations General Assembly, the French news agency AFP reported.

Speaking upon his arrival in New York ahead of the opening of the General Assembly on Wednesday, Abbas called on Israeli citizens to recognize Palestinian statehood to prove that a two-state solution can be reached.

Moreover, Palestinian sources close to Abbas insisted overnight Sunday that in contrast to recent reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not offer them a compromise on Israel's demand to be recognized as a Jewish state in the draft of a Quartet statement calling for direct peace talks to resume due to be published on Monday.

Netanyahu was reported to have agreed to several compromises in regard to the Quartet statement's wording, as an attempt to sway the Palestinian Authority away from its statehood bid at the United Nations.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-predicts-very-difficult-time-for-palestinians-after-un-bid-1.385323