I will work for the region’s peace, Obama tells Abbas

October 9th, 2009 Obama lauds Peace Prize, says work just startedWASHINGTON — A beaming President Barack Obama says he's honored to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but says he isn't sure he's done enough to earn it. Appearing in the Rose Garden Friday, Obama acknowledged he was "both surprised and deeply humbled" to win the award.

September 30th, 2009 Fatah to Abbas: no talks without settlement freezeRAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been told by his Fatah movement that he must not resume peace talks unless Israel freezes its settlement construction, a senior Fatah member said Wednesday. Fatah's position could help Abbas stand up to U.S.

September 21st, 2009 Gibbs: 'No grand expectations' for Mideast talksWASHINGTON — The White House says it has "no grand expectations" for President Barack Obama's meeting Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Obama will meet separately with each leader, then hold three-way talks while in New York City for meetings of the U.N.

September 15th, 2009 Israelis, Palestinians present blueprint for peaceTEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli and Palestinian activists on Tuesdsay presented the most detailed vision yet of what a peace deal between the two sides could look like, aimed at showing that peace is possible despite the long deadlock in negotiations. The plan has no official standing, but has generated interest among Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

May 30th, 2009 RAMALLAH - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presented a draft proposal on settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the US administration when he met President Barack Obama in Washington, a Palestinian source said Saturday. "The plan includes timetables and mechanisms for carrying out the deals to push forward the political process," the source said on condition of anonymity.

May 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has urged Israel to freeze Jewish settlement activities in the West Bank, reiterating Washington's support for establishing a Palestinian state. After meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the White House Thursday, Obama told reporters that Israel "must meet obligations" to halt Jewish settlement activities in the West Bank, and that Israel would recognise the two-state solution in its security interests.

May 29th, 2009 Obama urges halt to 'drift' in Mideast peace talksWASHINGTON — Deepening his involvement in the quest for a difficult peace, President Barack Obama is pushing a reluctant Israel to halt settlement construction in the West Bank while urging the Palestinians to be more accepting of their Israeli neighbors. "We can't continue with the drift, with the increased fear and resentment on both sides, the sense of hopelessness around the situation that we've seen for many years now," Obama said Thursday, referring to the idea of Palestinians and Israelis living peacefully as neighbors.

May 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama will hold his first talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this month on the Middle East peace process, the White House said Tuesday. Obama will meet with Netanyahu at the White House on May 18 followed by visits from Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak on May 26 and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on May 28.

April 27th, 2009 Abbas demands Israel halt building settlementsRAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has delivered a tough speech on peace-making with Israel, saying there's no way he'll resume negotiations without an Israeli settlement freeze. Abbas also said Monday that Israel is defined by the borders it had before the 1967 Mideast War and "not one centimeter more." In 1967, Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — territories the Palestinians seek for their state.

April 27th, 2009 Abbas won't be pressured into talks with IsraelRAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians won't be pressured into resuming peace talks with Israel as long as construction in Jewish settlements continues, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday. Abbas said a complete construction freeze is a prerequisite for resuming talks.

April 22nd, 2009 Abbas to meet Obama on May 28: AideRAMALLAH, West Bank — An aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he'll meet with President Barack Obama in Washington on May 28. Nabil Abu Rdeneh says Abbas wants the U.S.

April 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has invited the Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian leaders to Washington for talks on resuming the peace process, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday. Obama would hold separate meetings with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Gibbs said, adding that no dates had been set for the visits.

March 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday said that Pakistan's Afghan border regions had turned into "the most dangerous place in the world.

March 22nd, 2009 BETHLEHEM - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Saturday reiterated calls for Israel to accept a two-state solution, vowing not to resume negotiations with Israel without an explicit Israeli recognition of previously signed agreements. Addressing an audience at the opening of an event celebrating Jerusalem's role in Arab culture, Abbas said justice and peace would not come to the Middle East without 'an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital'.

February 1st, 2009 JEDDAH - US President Barack Obama has told the Organization of Islamic Conference that he has full confidence that the US can work together with the world’s largest grouping of Muslims, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday. In a letter to OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Obama said he would work to improve relations with the grouping, the Jeddah-based organization said in a statement.