BREAKING NEWS

Obama praises Abbas as committed to peace

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama is backing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's commitment to peace after a phone call Friday in which Obama expressed strong support for Abbas' leadership on behalf of Palestinians.
The president said Abbas has shown a commitment to peace and "restraint" in recent months in handling long-standing conflicts with Israelis.
The White House said Obama and Abbas discussed ways to revive those talks in the near term.
Obama had expressed the same views earlier this week about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when they met at the White House.