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Pope Francis shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) during a private audience in the pontiff library at the Vatican, October 17, 2013. Abbas on Thursday invited Pope Francis to visit the Holy Land, matching an invitation from Israel. REUTERS/Osservatore Romano October 17, 2013. (Romereports.com) Surrounded by Swiss Guards, the president of the State of Palestine, walked inside the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. The cameras started flickering away when Mahmoud Abbas walked in. With the help of a translator, he introduced himself to Pope Francis.   MAHMOUD ABBASPresident, State of Palestine“I'm very happy to meet you for the very first time...

The US-brokered peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have reportedly reached an impasse due to an Israeli refusal to discuss land-swap and border issues, an Israeli newspaper reported Sunday. According to an unnamed, senior foreign diplomat with knowledge of the discussions, during the latest round of talks, the Israeli team of Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Netanyahu adviser Yitzhak Molcho made it clear to the Palestinians that Israel intends to keep some of the settlement blocs inside Israel as part of a final agreement, but refused to name which areas or discuss possible compensation to the Palestinians for...