Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas vowed on Saturday to do everything possible to make peace talks with Israel succeed. In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Abbas stated the Palestinians would expend "every sincere effort" to reach a peace agreement with Israel within a year.
He made clear that Israel would have to cease all settlement activities if the direct negotiations with Israel are to succeed. "Israel must choose between peace and the continuation of settlements," he said, according to Reuters.
