Palestinian Gov. Will Recognize Israel

Palestine’s new government will recognize Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly told John Kerry. According to a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, Abbas told the Secretary of State that his country’s new government, united with Hamas, will renounce violence and recognize Israel. “[Kerry’s] view is this is a moment of transition and part of the process. We are in a holding period where parties need to figure out what is next,” the spokeswoman told reporters Friday. “We have always thought there could be a point where we needed to pause and both sides needed to look at what was possible. And we’re clearly at that point now.”