Fall out from the decision to hold direct peace talks with Israel is already being felt among the Palestinians. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is now saying he only asked the Executive Committee for a one-month grace period to attend talks and not a permanent decision. Also, reports have surfaced that top Palestinian leaders claim the approval wasn’t binding since there wasn’t a proper quorum. Only nine members, including Abbas, were present for the vote, lower than the dozen required out of an Executive Committee of 18. Many of the top leaders conveniently stayed away from the vote, including Ahmad Qurei, a former prime minister, and Hanan Asharwi. One participant said there wasn’t even a vote or show of hands, just opinions expressed. Furthermore, all the members, including key negotiator Saib Ariqat, expressed dismay that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there were no preconditions for resuming the direct talks, since the Palestinians had asked her as a precondition, not to say there were no preconditions.