WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The issue of whether and how to suggest that Israel should be a Jewish state ultimately sank diplomatic efforts to draft a substantive statement to revive peace talks, sources familiar with the matter said.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel and the Palestinians — and their effective proxies in the negotiations, the United States and Russia — remain too far apart on that issue and others.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the United Nations on Friday to recognize a state for his people, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said only direct negotiations could deliver peace.

Abbas handed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a letter requesting full U.N. membership, which the Security Council will consider on Monday. The United States has vowed to use its veto if it comes to a vote.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – There appear to be three possible outcomes to the Palestinian plan on Friday to seek full U.N. membership: a miracle, a muddle, and a mess.

The miracle would be if diplomats dream up a document that may persuade the Israelis and Palestinians to talk peace after nearly a year of impasse and acrimony.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A scenario is emerging that might prevent an Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic train wreck at the United Nations this week but analysts and officials say it will require near perfect timing and diplomacy to pull it off.

Under the scenario, described by people familiar with the diplomacy, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would submit a letter seeking full U.N. membership on Friday and the U.N. Security Council will postpone action on it for weeks.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A scenario is emerging that might prevent an Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic train wreck at the United Nations this week but analysts and officials say it will require near perfect timing and diplomacy to pull it off.

Under the scenario, described by people familiar with the diplomacy, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would submit a letter seeking full U.N. membership on Friday and the U.N. Security Council will postpone action on it for weeks.

NEW YORK, Sept 19 (Reuters) – The United States urged
Turkey on Monday not to do anything to worsen its relationship
with Israel, U.S. officials said on Monday, seeking to prevent
relations between two U.S. allies from deteriorating further.

One official offered no details but may have been alluding
to the possibility of the Turkish navy escorting aid flotillas
to the Gaza Strip ruled by the Hamas Islamist group, which the
United States and Israel regard as a terrorist organization.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed Pakistan in 3-1/2 hours of talks on Sunday to attack the Haqqani network militant group Washington blames for a recent attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul, a senior U.S. official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the issue of counterterrorism in general and the Haqqani network in particular were the first and last topics discussed by Clinton and Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A last-ditch international push began in New York on Sunday to try to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and avert a crisis over Palestinian statehood at the United Nations.

Officials met two days after President Mahmoud Abbas said he would demand full membership of the world body for a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly this week, setting up a diplomatic clash with Israel and the United States.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Worried about possible U.S. aid cuts to the Palestinians, some American Jewish groups find themselves in the peculiar position of defending the funding, particularly money that supports Palestinian security forces.

The Congress has threatened to review the roughly $500 million in annual aid to the Palestinians if they seek full membership at the United Nations, a step opposed by Israel and the United States.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two U.S. envoys return to the Middle East this week to try to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and avert a Palestinian bid for U.N. membership, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

U.S. Middle East peace envoy David Hale and senior White House official Dennis Ross head back one week after a round of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders appeared to make no headway, the sources said on condition of anonymity.