Erekat: Two state solution is dying. Abbas: I may not run

This seems like interesting news.

Abbas, who was elected nearly five years ago, had been expected to run again, despite the deep factional divisions among his own people and the deadlock in returning to peace talks with the Israelis.

"The president insists on not running in the upcoming election," an official from the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation told Reuters. Abbas announced his decision today at a meeting of the PLO, which he chairs.

He was expected to give a speech later in the day, but some senior Palestinian figures said they were still trying to dissuade him from stepping down.

This also.

Erekat said the international community faced a "critical moment" in the Middle East and that it may be time for the Palestinians to start arguing in favour of a one-state solution, a bi-national state of Jews and Arabs on the same land. Israel bitterly opposes such an idea.

"President Abbas will have to come to his moment of truth and tell that to his people, tell them that we tried but now it's not an option to talk about two states because Israel destroyed it with settlements and walls," Erekat said. He said the Palestinians were not walking away from negotiations, but wanted the US to create a "realistic political track" for two-state peace talks.

I would like to believe either of these, or even better, both, could come to pass. Unfortunately, Israel has a tremendous amount of leverage with Abbas, Erekat and Fatah as a whole. I'd like to be wrong, but I doubt we will see any change in policy or direction from the Palestinian territories.