News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. presidency Barack Obama met PA-Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Wednesday. Obama's message, according to PA news agency Maan, was that "if elected as U.S. president he would work hard to continue the peace process."

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that Abbas spoke to Senator Obama at length about "the internal Palestinian situation" as well as the current negotiations with Israel.

Obama stressed that if he takes office this fall he will not "start from zero" with the Palestinian peace process. Rather, he said, "he will continue peace process efforts." Saeb Erekat, chief PA-Fatah negotiator with Israel, said that Abbas's meeting with Obama was "significant" and added that Obama "realizes the solution is in both sides' hands and they are the ones who will ultimately commit to peace and solve the problem."