Abbas in US for talks on Gaza

Acting Palestinian Authority (PA) Chief Mahmoud Abbas has arrived in the United States to discuss Israel’s three-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The meeting on Wednesday between Abbas and US President Barack Obama at the White House has been overshadowed by the May 31 Israeli attack on the Gaza aid Flotilla as international calls for ending the siege of the impoverished enclave intensify.

The two leaders will discuss ways to fast-track the peace process in the Middle East while a flurry of negotiations by the US Middle East envoy George Mitchell has failed to narrow down the differences on the issue, AFP reported.

Obama plans to discuss “long-term strategy for progress that we will advance through consultations” with the Palestinians, Israelis, Egyptians and other partners, a White House Official said on condition of anonymity.

The visit comes as Abbas has rejected Israeli calls for holding direct negotiations with Tel Aviv as part of the “proximity talks” brokered by the US government.

Abbas is also scheduled to meet Democratic Senator John Kerry and National Security Adviser James Jones.

Israel faces mounting international pressure to lift its blockade on Gaza after a deadly attack by the Israeli navy on an international mission carrying humanitarian aids for the besieged enclave.