Palestinians to proceed with UN recognition bid

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_PALESTINIANS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-05-21-07-56-31

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Senior Palestinian officials say that negotiations with Israel have become pointless after Israel's prime minister rejected President Barack Obama's call to base Mideast border talks on the pre-1967 war lines.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's stance only strengthened the Palestinian resolve to bypass such talks, largely deadlocked since 2008, and seek recognition of a state at the U.N. instead, said Nabil Shaath, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

However, Abbas himself has not given his official response to parameters for a Mideast peace deal that Obama laid out in a speech on Thursday, and it remains unclear whether the Palestinian leader would now consider abandoning the U.N. bid.

Since the speech, Abbas has been consulting by phone with Arab leaders. He plans to meet with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Saturday and then convene the leaders of the PLO and his Fatah movement later in the week before giving a response, Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said.

[Harmony Blue]

1. Not a surprise

The United States is trying to urge the Israelis to forge a deal they will be part of or else this will become a reality in the Fall.