Abbas to Obama: “What guarantees do we have that Israel will negotiate seriously about major issues...?"

Politico/ here

"... Abbas, for his part, praised Obama for his peace efforts and seemed to offer more flexibility about the prospect of direct talks than he has in the past.

“With regard to the transitioning from the proximity talks to the direct talks, we did not say — we are not saying that we have conditions. What has happened is that we agreed that, should progress be achieved, then we would move on to direct talks,” Abbas said through a translator.....

The Obama administration is urging Abbas to agree to direct talks with the Israelis to accelerate progress in the peace process because a partial 10-month moratorium on Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank expires in September. Obama will press Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the freeze, including in a White House meeting expected at the end of the month.

In private, Palestinian officials and groups have sought reassurances from the Obama administration that if they accept direct talks with the Israelis. “What guarantees do we have that they will be substantive and that Israel will negotiate seriously about major issues like borders and security and not continue to insist on talking about water and procedural issues?” asked Ibish of the American Task Force on Palestine, ..... Abbas “did not say ‘no’” to the request for direct talks, according to one U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But as he described it to us, I’d say it is achievable.”

After a private meeting with Obama and expanded discussions with broader foreign policy teams, Abbas had lunch with Mitchell. And Wednesday evening, former Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) was hosting a private dinner for Abbas with about 30 Jewish community leaders and former officials. Among those in attendance were Alan Solow, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Lee Rosenberg, president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee; Abe Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League; former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger; and former National Security Council Middle East official Elliott Abrams.

“The result of this visit will be President Abbas’s growing comfort with the idea of proceeding to direct negotiations, using the trust of the president of the United States as a foundation to build upon,” Wexler told POLITICO.

Also on Wednesday, the Obama administration announced some $400 million in U.S. support for infrastructure, education and economic development initiatives in the West Bank and Gaza, to give Abbas some deliverables to show for his visit..."