Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas was given a letter by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which said, among other things, that the U.S. would “blame the appropriate party” if Israel refused to withdraw to the 1967 borders at the end of the four month “proximity talks” that are set to begin between Israel and the PA. PA negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Abbas was given the letter with that statement, one of several answers to questions the PA had posed to the U.S. before agreeing to enter the latest round of talks.
Speaking in Ramallah at the conclusion of a meeting between Abbas and U.S. envoy George Mitchell, Erekat hinted that the U.S. would blame Israel if the talks “failed” - ie, if Israel did not capitulate to the PA's demands for a full withdrawal from Judea, Samaria, and much of Jerusalem. Erekat said that the letter makes clear that “the United States will publicly announce who wrecked the talks.” Erekat did not specify who that might be, but Israeli officials took it to mean Israel.