Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Saudi King Abdullah discussed plans to persuade the United States to accept a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, a regional daily said Saturday, dpa reported.
The Palestinian Authority's ambassador in Riyadh, Jamal al-Shobki, told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper the two leaders met in Riyadh to discuss plans for a Palestinian state after Israel refused to extend a moratorium on Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank that expired late last month.
Both sides wanted the United States to accept the formation of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of 1967, prior to the Six-Day War where Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan and the Gaza Strip from Egypt.
The Palestinians and their Arab supporters have been contemplating turning to the United Nations for recognition of a Palestinian state without Israel's approval, despite US veto power at the UN Security Council.
The Arab League's member-states are expected to meet in two weeks to discuss alternatives presented by Abbas that could surpass direct Palestinian-Israeli talks, which have been stalled over the settlements issue.
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