The national unity government has created a new opportunity to move the peace process ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a letter he sent Abbas on Saturday night.

Netanyahu added that he wants to restart negotiations as soon as possible. Ever since taking office, Netanyahu has told U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that he could not advance the peace process because of the composition of his coalition.

Clinton, who spoke with Netanyahu last week told him that with Kadima now part of the coalition, she was waiting to see how he would move the diplomatic process forward.

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Netanyahu’s letter to Abbas was delivered to PA headquarters in Ramallah by his special envoy Isaac Molho, who met with Abbas for 90 minutes.

Following the meeting the two issued a joint statement saying that Israel and the Palestinian Authority are obligated to achieve peace, and that the parties hope the exchange of letters between Netanyahu and Abbas will contribute to this end. Molho’s meeting with Abbas was in fact a reciprocal visit; three weeks ago PA negotiations chief Saeb Erekat and the head of the Palestinian intelligence Majed Faraj met with Netanyahu and delivered a letter from Abbas. In that letter, Abbas accused Netanyahu of weakening the PA.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

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