PM to meet Obama at GA

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to Washington in two weeks to take part in this November's United Jewish Communities General Assembly (GA), where he is expected to meet U.S. President Barack Obama.

Sources in the Prime Minister's Bureau said over the weekend that in view of the rapprochement between Israel and the American administration, a meeting with Obama, who is scheduled to speak at the GA, is likely.

On Friday, Obama spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about resuming the peace process, and stressed his personal commitment to establishing a Palestinian state.

Abbas said he too was committed to the peace process, and called for a halt to construction in West Bank settlements.

American envoy George Mitchell is due to arrive in Israel on Wednesday to discuss ways of jumpstarting the peace process.

Jerusalem officials hope that by the time Netanyahu reaches Washington, the gaps with the Palestinians will have been bridged and the talks will have resumed. Mitchell said over the weekend it was still early to declare that his efforts to resume the peace process had failed, despite Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's report to Obama of the meager progress in the process.