News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas is expected to ask US President George W. Bush to “order” Israel to halt construction “in all settlements,” when the two men meet Thursday morning, said a senior PA security source.

“Otherwise, efforts to bring about peace will never succeed. The settlements are the biggest obstacle to peace. We see no difference between a settlement in the West Bank and a Jewish settlement in Jerusalem,” said the source.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday night after meeting with the president that Israel has no intention of halting construction anywhere in Jerusalem, which the Jewish State does not define as a settlement.