Abbas Will Not Seek Reelection

The LA Times and Al Arabiya are reporting that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not seek reelection in the planned January elections.  He has scheduled a televised speech for this evening.  Nabil Shaath, a senior Fatah official, said Abbas, despite President Obama’s assurances, is disillusioned over the Obama administration’s inability to secure a halt to Israel’s expansion of Jewish settlements into the land the Palestinians want for a future state.  Abbas had called for the January election last month after failing to reach a unity deal with Hamas.