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Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5AA24U20091111?sp=true
U.S. Keeps Pressure on Abbas After Netanyahu Visit
[Reuters] Jeffrey Heller - Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's low-profile White House visit on Monday, widely portrayed as frosty, in fact broke the ice in his relations with President Obama, a senior Israeli official said on Wednesday. And since the meeting, Washington has been keeping the pressure on Palestinians to resume peace talks without an Israeli settlement freeze first. The low-key nature of the Oval Office visit, Israeli officials said, was partly aimed at not upsetting the Palestinians or undermining Mahmoud Abbas. Uzi Arad, Netanyahu's national security adviser, spoke of the change in Washington's tone toward settlements, saying on Wednesday that the U.S. was a "pragmatic nation" that understood and respected Israel's red lines on the issue. Netanyahu's position on settlements is supported by a majority of Israelis and the U.S. recognizes that, Arad told Israel Radio.