Abbas seeks backing to leave peace talks

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has sought the backing of dozens of senior Palestinians to pull out of the Middle East peace talks.

The US-brokered negotiations with Israel have hit a road block on the issue of settlement construction in the West Bank.

However, the outcome of today's meeting with the PLO is unlikely to be the last word on the matter.

A deadline for a final decision was postponed twice in recent days, and the US now has until Friday to try to avert a total collapse of the peace talks.