Obama to try to jump-start Mideast peace talks

JERUSALEM (AP) — Barack Obama will try to get Mideast peacemaking back on track this week in a meeting with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, hoping the weight of the U.S. presidency can resolve a showdown over Israeli settlement construction and get the sides talking again after months of deadlock.

For Obama, it’s high-stakes diplomacy that relies on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as key to cracking other world problems. He’ll be bringing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas together in New York on Tuesday for their first encounter since Netanyahu took office in March.