Women and children follow from the doorstep of their home a welcoming ceremony for Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas (portraits) who was touring the West Bank town of Halhul, north of Hebron, on November 8, 2009. Abbas, who was elected at the head of the Palestinian Authority in 2005, announced earlier this week that he will not seek re-election in January polls. Palestinian officials had said that Abbas's decision was motivated by his disappointment with US efforts to halt Israeli settlement construction, which he had said must happen before the resumption of peace talks with Israel. Getty Images logo Getty Images 1 week ago

Women and children follow from the doorstep of their home a welcoming ceremony for Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas (portraits) who was touring the West Bank town of Halhul, north of Hebron, on November 8, 2009. Abbas, who was elected at the head of the Palestinian Authority in 2005, announced earlier this week that he will not seek re-election in January polls. Palestinian officials had said that Abbas's decision was motivated by his disappointment with US efforts to halt Israeli settlement construction, which he had said must happen before the resumption of peace talks with Israel.

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  1. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (L) speaks during a press conference with chief Palestinian negotaitor Saeb Erakat (R) after he met with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in Amman on November 17, 2009.
  2. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (L) meets with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in Amman on November 17, 2009.
  3. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (L) meets with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in Amman on November 17, 2009.
  4. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on November 17, 2009. The leaders centered their talk on the situation in the Palestinian territories and the Arab peace initiative after last week�s Arab League meeting.
  5. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (R) and chief negotiator Saeb Erakat (L) hold a press conference after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on November 17, 2009. The leaders centered their talk on the situation in the Palestinian territories and the Arab peace initiative after last week�s Arab League meeting.
  6. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) meets with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas (L) in Cairo on November 17, 2009. The leaders centered their talk on the situation in the Palestinian territories and the Arab peace initiative after last week�s Arab League meeting.
  7. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) meets with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas (L) in Cairo on November 17, 2009. The leaders centered their talk on the situation in the Palestinian territories and the Arab peace initiative after last week�s Arab League meeting.
  8. A boy wearing the traditional chequered keffiyeh stands between portraits of Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas during a rally held on November 15, 2009 in the West Bank village of Beit Furik, near Nablus, to mark the symbolic declaration of independence. The Palestinians intend to ask the UN Security Council to recognise their independence, a senior official said amid mounting frustration with the stalled peace process. In reaction, Israeli hardline Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau said that if the Palestinians took unilateral steps, Israel should annex the parts of the West Bank that contain major Jewish settlement blocs.
  9. Palestinian children attend a mock trial of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas over his initial failure to press for the adoption of the UN Goldstone report, in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, on October 12, 2009. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas defended his controversial decision to support deferring a vote on a damning Gaza war report at the UN Human Rights Council. In a televised address, the embattled president also accused the rival Hamas movement of leading the storm of criticism at the decision as a means to postpone a long-delayed Palestinian reconciliation deal. Abbas said the Palestinian delegation at the Geneva-based council backed the October 2 postponement of a vote on the so-called Goldstone report which was highly critical of Israel in order to gather maximum support for the measure.
  10. Palestinian children attend a mock trial of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas over his initial failure to press for the adoption of the UN Goldstone report, in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, on October 12, 2009. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas defended his controversial decision to support deferring a vote on a damning Gaza war report at the UN Human Rights Council. In a televised address, the embattled president also accused the rival Hamas movement of leading the storm of criticism at the decision as a means to postpone a long-delayed Palestinian reconciliation deal. Abbas said the Palestinian delegation at the Geneva-based council backed the October 2 postponement of a vote on the so-called Goldstone report which was highly critical of Israel in order to gather maximum support for the measure.
  11. Palestinian children attend a mock trial of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas over his initial failure to press for the adoption of the UN Goldstone report, in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, on October 12, 2009. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas defended his controversial decision to support deferring a vote on a damning Gaza war report at the UN Human Rights Council. In a televised address, the embattled president also accused the rival Hamas movement of leading the storm of criticism at the decision as a means to postpone a long-delayed Palestinian reconciliation deal. Abbas said the Palestinian delegation at the Geneva-based council backed the October 2 postponement of a vote on the so-called Goldstone report which was highly critical of Israel in order to gather maximum support for the measure.
  12. In this photo released by the Palestinian Authority, U.S. Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, left, shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, at Abbas' headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Friday, Oct. 9, 2009. In Jerusalem, there were scattered clashes Friday in the city between police and Muslim protesters. Several protesters and policemen were lightly hurt. The friction, in which no one has been seriously injured, appears to have been sparked by rumors among Palestinians about an attempt by Jewish extremists to harm the Islamic holy sites in the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.
  13. Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas speaks to media after a meeting with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa on October 4, 2009. Abbas, whose authority has faced a backlash at home and a split among Arab ranks after it backed a UN decision to delay a vote on a report accusing Israel of war crimes in the Gaza Strip, is on an official visit to Yemen.
  14. Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas attends an executive committee meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah on September 30, 2009. Rival Palestinian factions will meet in Egypt in October for talks aimed at reaching a national reconciliation agreement, Hamas supremo leader Khaled Meshaal said in Cairo on September 28. The exiled leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement was in Cairo for talks with officials over Egyptian proposals to reconcile Hamas with the secular Fatah party of president Mahmud Abbas.
  15. A Palestinian youth peeps through a hole on the other side of Israel's separation barrier during clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank village Nilin on November 20, 2009. The Israeli army arrested five members of the Palestinian Authority's intelligence services in the northern West Bank city of Salfit, Palestinian security sources said.
  16. Palestinian youths carry a man wounded by a live bullet during clashes with Israeli soldiers near Israel�s separation barrier in the West Bank village Nilin on November 20, 2009. The Israeli army arrested five members of the Palestinian Authority's intelligence services in the northern West Bank city of Salfit, Palestinian security sources said.

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