‘Abbas Calls for Quartet to Pressure New Israeli Government

 Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas has called for the Quartet – the international entities sponsoring the Road Map peace plan, including the U.S., the United Nations, the European Union and Russia – “particularly with the Obama administration, [to] demand that they pressure Israel into choosing the path of peace.”  ‘Abbas made his remarks to the Arab League meeting in Doha. His comments came amid a scathing attack on the Jewish state in which he accused Israel of acting in accordance with its “ambitions of expansion,” charging that “the building of the racist wall [Israel’s security barrier], the blockade of Gaza, the Judaizing of Jerusalem and the imprisonment of 11,000 Palestinians have turned the lives of West Bank residents into living hell.” “Abbas termed the election of the Netanyahu government “the rise of extremist forces in Israel.”