The Palestinian president made a fresh bid to win over public opinion in Israel by giving a rare interview to Israeli journalists in which he cast himself as a serious partner for peace talks.
The interview, reported in major Israeli newspapers on Thursday, came as Washington's special Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, was visiting the region trying to find enough common ground between the two sides to allow direct talks to resume.
It was also President Mahmoud Abbas' first direct attempt to explain his government's positions to Israelis and counter claims by Israeli hard-liners that they have no partner for peace talks. In a related move, Abbas tried to rally support last month at a meeting with more than 30 Jewish-American leaders and other political heavyweights during a trip to Washington."
