Abbas dumps peace talks. Kerry may not return

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas rejected the Kerry-Netanyahu package of concessions for a nine-month extension of the peace talks by raising the ante beyond reasonable expectation of Israel's acceptance. He then shot off applications fpr membership of 12 UN agencies in the name of the "independent Palestinian state." This was a violation of the Palestinian leader's pledge to Secretary of State John Kerry at the start of negotiations. Kerry's plan to return to the region Wednesday is now in grave doubt, as is the early release of Jonathan Pollard.