Obama, Netanyahu meet close door on ME crisis

US efforts to revive the Middle East process floundered yesterday after President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held closed-door talks amid signs of friction.
The two went into talks with the United States having renewed its opposition to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu left the White House after spending an hour and 40 minutes, without making the customary public appearance with the US president.
"The president reaffirmed our strong commitment to Israel's security, and discussed security cooperation on a range of issues," the White House said in a brief statement.
"The president and prime minister also discussed Iran and how to move forward on Middle East peace."
Ahead of the meeting, Netanyahu said he was ready to immediately start peace negotiations with the Palestinians, but prospects appear dim.
"The policy of the United States government for many decades has been, no more settlements, that's not something that is new (with) this administration," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
Aides to Mahmud Abbas warned yesterday that if US efforts to re-launch Middle East peace talks stay deadlocked, the president could resign in a move that would probably lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority.