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Source: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.538943
U.S. Pushed Peace Talks to Avoid Israeli-Palestinian "Train Wreck" at UN, Says White House Official
(Ha'aretz) Barak Ravid - "The Palestinians throughout the course of this year have been making clear that if they couldn't see progress on the peace front, that their intention would be to seek other elevations of their status, whether at the UN or other international organizations," a senior White House official said Wednesday. "So it's no secret that one of the motivating factors, I think for everybody, was to avoid that sort of train wreck....With this process moving forward, the risk of a clash at the UN or elsewhere is reduced or eliminated." According to American officials, the U.S. has decided not to let the issue of a settlement freeze impede the negotiations this time around, as that has been viewed as an obstacle to renewed negotiations over the past four years. "It would be fair to say that you are likely to see Israeli settlement continue," said one State Department official.