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Obama Reported to visit Jerusalem by end of the year

Direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians are set to open in Washington this week, and already there are reports that President Obama is planning a visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah before the end of the year. According to the London-based Telegraph newspaper, a leaked White House report said Obama would be arriving “in the coming months.” It would be his first visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority since being elected president. Obama has put Middle East peace as one of his top foreign policy goals and is pushing for a comprehensive deal that would lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within a year. The report said Obama has decided on a hands on approach, a departure from his policy to date. This will begin on Wednesday when he hosts the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan for dinner at the White House.