US, Israeli leaders meet on stalled peace talks

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JERUSALEM, May 18 (AP): US and Israeli leaders meet this week amid a deadlocked peace process, a Middle East in the grip of violence and change, and an emerging Palestinian plan to seek recognition for a state at the United Nations. Disagreement looms: Barack Obama is pushing for a resumption of peace talks, while Benjamin Netanyahu considers it all but impossible to negotiate in the current environment, especially with a Palestinian leadership newly allied with the Islamic militant group Hamas. The White House meeting Friday comes amid a growing sense of urgency brought on by the Palestinians' plan to sidestep the peace process and seek recognition for a state at the United Nations in September - and against a backdrop of a changing Middle East. The Israeli leader is also scheduled to address a joint session of Congress, a rare privilege for a foreign dignitary. Netanyahu and Obama have expressed vastly different visions about the path forward - Obama is urging a return to the bargaining table while Netanyahu has attacked the Palestinians' intention to set up a "unity government" backed by both the moderate Fatah of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Iranian-backed Hamas. Obama argued Tuesday that the Mideast revolutions make it "more vital than ever that Israelis and Palestinians find a way back to the table."