Obama to hold joint meeting with Netanyahu, Abbas

[oberliner]

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a joint meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to try to restart peace talks between the two sides, the White House said.

The meeting -- the first between the three men -- will be held in New York, where the U.N. General Assembly takes place next week.

Obama will meet with each leader separately before convening a joint session with them, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in the statement, released on Saturday.

Netanyahu's office said in a statement the Israeli leader had pushed forward his departure for New York to Monday from Wednesday for the purpose of meeting with Obama and Abbas.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes the United States' invitation for talks with President Barack Obama and for a trilateral meeting with President Obama and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas," the statement said.


http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSN19231772._CH_.2400

[Donald Ian Rankin]

1. At worst, this will be harmless

I can't see any likelihood of anything positive coming out of negotiations with Netanyahu, but I don't imagine it will do any harm either.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Another dog and pony show

The headline could have read: Obama meets with the Immovable Object and the Irresistible Force.