Clinton is recruiting support for Abbas from the Arab states. As officials in the U.S. administration scramble to find a last-minute solution to the West Bank settlement building freeze, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has met in the past few days with senior officials from the Arab states in order to promote peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Clinton took the opportunity of the UN General Assembly to meet with the officials in order to speak with them prior to the next meeting of the Arab League next month. The Americans are seeking to secure continued Arab support of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the continuation of direct talks with Israel and, even more so, the normalization of relations with the Jewish state as President Barack Obama called for during his speech before the UN.
