Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, chairs a session of the Palestinian cabinet in the West Bank city of Ramallah, July 28, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shuttled between Israeli and Palestinian leaders for months seeking a breakthrough and announced last week that the Palestinians and the Israelis were willing to meet to discuss renewing talks. The Palestinians long refused to return to the negotiating table unless Israel agreed to several preconditions. (AP Photo/ Xinhua, Issam Rimawi, Pool)