The Quartet (US; UN; EU; Russia) has set forth its plan to jumpstart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, but the one-year deadline for an agreement appears not to have resonated with the Palestinians as the interlocutors had hoped. Speaking to reporters on his return flight from New York, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud ‘Abbas indicated that in order to embrace the latest Quartet offer it would have to bow to demands that the starting point be set at pre-1967 borders and include a freeze on Israeli building on lands it acquired in the 1967 war. Israel, though, rejects the ‘Abbas demand as preconditions, insisting that both are issues for negotiation. The Quartet said “Within a month there will be a preparatory meeting between the parties to agree an agenda and method of proceeding in the negotiation,” and that “there will be a commitment by both sides that the objective of any negotiation is to reach an agreement within a timeframe agreed to by the parties but not longer than the end of 2012.” ‘Abbas wants the Security Council to begin its deliberation of the Palestinian request for membership within two weeks. It remains unclear whether the Palestinians have the nine votes necessary for Security Council approval. If it does, President Obama will be placed in the difficult position of exercising his promised veto, enraging the Arab world. ‘Abbas returns to Ramallah on Sunday where a festive greeting awaits him.