Obama, Netanyahu to meet at UN
US president to also meet Turkey's Erdogan, urge him to repair relations with Israel
The White House says President Barack Obama will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of next week's United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York.
White House National Security Council Spokesman Ben Rhodes told reporters that Obama anticipated a meeting with Netanyahu during the Monday to Wednesday UN gathering.
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The sit-down between Obama and Netanyahu comes as the Palestinians get ready to ask the UN Security Council to accept them as a full member of the United Nations. Israel strongly opposes that effort, and the US has promised to veto the measure.
The White House said Friday there are currently no plans for Obama to formally meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The US president will also be meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the UN General Assembly in New York next. Obama will be urging the Turkish leader to repair relations with Israel, the White House said on Friday.
Earlier this week, Obama said that the Palestinians' planned UN bid for statehood is a "distraction" from the peace process, and will not aid in ending the Middle East conflict.
In a statement made on Monday night, Obama reiterated his administration's stance that the PA's unilateral move was perilous. Washington had already announced that it would veto the Palestinian appeal for statehood should it be brought before the UN Security Council.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict "is only going to be resolved by Israelis and Palestinians agreeing on something," he said.
Yitzhak Benhorin contributed to the story
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