Israel, PLO, US meet to avoid talks collapse

The first three-way meeting since Wednesday comes as Washington reviews its push for a peace deal after a spiral of tit-for-tat moves by Israel and the PLO took hard-won negotiations close to collapse.
 
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday there were "limits" to the time and energy Washington could devote to the process, adding it was time for a "reality check."
 
The same day Indyk met separately with chief Israeli negotiator, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, and her Palestinian counterpart, Saeb Erakat.
 
Kerry, who has engaged in more than a year of intensive shuttle diplomacy, had spoken to both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders Thursday in a bid to bring the two sides back from the brink.
 
But President Mahmoud Abbas rejected his appeals to withdraw applications he signed on Tuesday to adhere to 15 international treaties, a Palestinian official said.
 
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored appeals to refrain from "unhelpful" tit-for-tat moves, asking officials to draw up a range of tough reprisals, Israeli media reported.
 
Israel says Abbas' move is a clear breach of promises made by the PLO when peace talks were relaunched in July to pursue no other avenues for recognition of its promised state.
 
Palestinians say Israel had already reneged on its own commitments by failing to release a fourth and final batch of prisoners last weekend, and that the treaty move was their response.