Abbas rejects interim deal

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Israel’s idea of an interim peace agreement at a summit, a Palestinian negotiator said, insisting on an all-or-nothing approach that virtually ruled out an accord by a January target date.

The latest meeting between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was their shortest, lasting less than an hour. Olmert entered the talks in a weakened position after his decision to submit his resignation this month when his party picks a new leader. Abbas also is not in a strong political position, having lost control of the Gaza Strip to the militant group Hamas last year.