palestinian president mahmoud abbas says he's ready to resume peace talks if israel freezes settlement. benjamin netanyahu just spoke in jerusalem following secretary of state john kerry's remarks about middle east policy. benjamin netanyahu flatly rejected from sustaining from u.n. security vote and why the government is so steadfast in its position on peace talks. >> my position is that israelis and palestinians both have a future of mutual recognition, dignity, respect, co-existence. but the palestinian authority tells them they will never accept and should never accept the existence of a jewish state. so i ask how can you make peace with someone who rejects your very existence. >> joining me by phone human rights attorney from george washington university. i understand you were listening to congressman brad sherman just before the break. do you care to respond to what congressman sherman had to say? >> congressman sherman told viewers and unfortunately constituents end of apartheid regime that distinguishes between palestinians and jewish israelis and actually privileges jewish isr

i think the president, mahmoud abbas, was voted with a consensus he has the support of his party and movement and i strongly believe supported by his party he would win and palestinian is not just looking for new blood. they are acting for what can carry us through this difficult time and strategy of nonviolence and making sure we have international support and it's been paying off and stability and security under circumstances i think people vote for his ideas, vote for his success and also his credibility with the u.s. and the u.n. security council two days ago, people are watching that. this is not about old or young. there are some people with old people with young ideas and some young people with me with old ideas. >> dr. zomlot, we are running out of time. i want to ask one final question about new blood. there will be new blood in the united states, donald trump. he has made it very, very clear that trying to finally find a way for there to be a workable peace process between palestinian and israelis is a top priority and he wants to try to get it done. he's obviously not the

mahmoud abbas today applauding the u.n.ity council resolution to condemn israeli settlements in the palestinian territory. he hopes it will be the focus of a january conference in france where countries will come together to try to form a plan for peace between israel and the palestinians. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu seeks a different approach he wants direct talks abbas has refused. this shows the complicated and fragile steps towards peace there. they are reducing diplomatic relationships with 12 countries which voted to condemn the settlement. it has proof president obama helped orchestrate the u.s. security council resolution a vote it says will only hurt the chance for peace. oh oo this is very, very bad for peace. in order for israel to negotiate a lasting peace with our palestinian neighbors we have one card to bring to the negotiating table that's territory. everyone understands if you have a future piece there has to be some element of a territorial compromise. as for mr. netanyahu he's hoping to find

at the last moment, mahmoud abbas refused to scene an agreement. it is also a fact. and they were toward evacuate all settlements and open the issue of return and swaps and everything. and maybe an illustration of what the real problem of a solution between us and palestinians. >> just to put a period on this topic, do you think the vote monday to legalize some of these settlements should be postponed until after the united states and israel get together? >> you know, i clarified my position in cabinet publicly, in press, and i think it is much better to postpone all of this legislation and steps until 22 of january. >> anti-semitism reared its head quite a bit during the presidential election. in a way that i think probably a lot of americans under a certain age had not seen. perhaps ever in their life times. how much notice did that get in israel? the rise of the so-called ite s unanimously supported the president-elect, not to say his supporters are that way, certainly the minority were. did that get attention in israel, did you hear about this, did you have any c

palestinian leaders are also sounding off about the future of peace talks, mahmoud abbas says that palestinian is ready to resume talks if israel ceases all settlement activities. the palestinians also say they want the negotiations to be based on friday's resolution and that alone may be a nonstarter for israeli leaders. that said a palestinian delegation will attend a middle east piece conference aimed at restarting talks between the israelis and palestinians a conference that israeli officials, one senior official told me is a sham just to hurt israel's credibility and that israel will not be attending. >> joining me now to react, the israeli ambassador to the united states, ambassador, thank you for being here tonight. we're hear from you, one of the first reactions from you to the secretary of state's speech today, it was a long speech, he was clearly showing his frustrations. we have heard benjamin netanyahu respond, john kerry lashing out at the so-called settler agenda. your response? >> well, look, first of all, this is not new. i have been in this capacity as ambassador for over thre

benjamin netanyahu said he would only meet with mahmoud abbas directly and without preconditions.he obama administration's efforts to restart the peace process collapsed akin 2014. the french government had hoped there hassummit but been no reaction so far from the palestinians. british filmmakers have voted in favor of prime minister theresa may's plan to begin the process of leaving the european union on march 31 of next year. in return, the detailed plan of , they will beal seen as trying to block brexit. for more let's go to london. benedict, as expected, in p's have backed her timetable for leaving the eu. there was a pretty heated debate throughout the day. >> there was a heated debate, in fact a compromise solution to have what was a labor day opposition motion and then an amendment from the government. is thathappened tonight british mps have voted to back the government's plan to start formal talks on brexit by the 31st of march next year. so in other words, this is a victory for the government, since mps have voted to respect .heresa may's timetable i easily at huge majo

buttu was previously an advisor to palestinian president mahmoud abbas. and in tel aviv we're joined by , gideon levy, a ha'aretz columnist and a member of the newspaper's editorial board. his new article is titled, "u.n. resolution is a breath of hope in sea of darkness and despair." he is also the author of "the punishment of gaza." we welcome you both to democracy now! diana buttu, let's begin with you. your response to this resolution? isthis is a resolution that good on its face, except what it requires is the international community to actually follow up with it. what i think is important to remember is that these types of resolutions have been issued by all of the u.s. and ministrations with even president reagan not abstaining from this resolution, but voting in favor of it. what really needs to happen now is sanctions need to be imposed on israel. it cannot be allowed to continue its colonization of the west bank for yet another 50 years. messageust be sent the they cannot continue to defy international law. there will be a price to be paid. , yo

midnight mass latin patriarch of jerusalem made special mention of palestinian authority president mahmoud abbass was one of several leaders to law the passage u.s. resolution friday on the minds of people who attended mass. politics aside tourism numbers were um in bethlehem this year because of the relative quiet at least compared to last year when there was a wave of terror attacks in parts of israel including jerusalem and the west bank leading up to christmas and on christmas eve and christ today's may. so while it may be calmer this year there's always an underlying tension as terrorism and war continues to playing the middle east and that was part of the message today at the vatic vatican. ♪ >> reporter: thousands packed saint peter's square to hear pope francis' christmas message calling for peace and co existence in a world he says scared by war particularly in syria. >> pope francis says it's time for weapons to be still forever in syria and international community to actively seek a negotiated solution so that civil co existence can be restored in the country. the pope also offered a

we've heard from palestinian president mahmoud abbas and a senior palestinian official, saeb erekat,as convinced that peace with israel was achievable, but only if israel halts settlement building. president abbas is fully convinced that a just, comprehensive and lasting peace can be achieved and is doable on all core issues on the basis of the peace initiative, specify terms of reference, which guarantees to fully end the israeli occupation. an ambassador who also worked as deputy national security defies itself to my —— advice under george w bushjoined us. there is only another three weeks for the obama administration. mr trump is more prone israel. to some degree we will be getting a new administration, so, yes, but the damage done by this resolution and i have underlined among the people who normally support president obama and are unhappy with prime minister netanyahu, including much of the democrats and senator, the washington post editorial board, obama's own middle east negotiator, are all very much appalled by this un vote. the fact that we would not have brought such a one—

we've heard from palestinian president mahmoud abbas, senior palestinian official, saeb erekat, saidconvinced peace with israel was achievable, but only if israel halts settlement building. president abbas is fully convinced that a just, comprehensive and lasting peace can be achieved and is doable on all core issues on the basis of the peace initiative, specify terms of reference, which guarantees to fully and the israeli occupation. i've been speaking to guy ziv from american university in washington, who's been analysing israeli politics. he sastohn kerry's speech reaffirms the idea of a two state solution. i certainly think that kerry's speech would have made a greater difference had it been made a few years ago. it is better late than never. i think in the remaining weeks in office this administration should be doing everything possible to save the two—state solution, which is presently on life support, from collapsing. but can it really? mr trump is unequivocally pro—israel, so are the people he is appointing. i think it depends how you define pro—israel. i don't think trump's

since then we've heard from palestinian president mahmoud abbas — responding tojohn kerry's speech.nvinced that peace with israel was achievable, only if israel halts settlement building before talks restarted. syrian rebel groups say they are discussing a ceasefire deal with turkey, but that it's too early to say if it has any chance of success. a top official with one of the main rebel groups said that one of the sticking points was the exclusion of a key rebel—held area on the outskirts of damascus. this comes as moscow accuses rebels of firing two shells at its embassy in damascus. lina sinjab has been following developments. we have heard from some residents that at least two rockets fell, one outside the embassy and one inside the embassy. so far, we do not know who is to blame for this attack fish to be the russians have said that this is going to will affect any peace efforts. that is happening just at a time when russia and turkey preferring for a ceasefire. the announcement came from the turkish side today, but has not been confirmed so far, neither by the russians nor by

since then we've heard from palestinian president mahmoud abbas, responding tojohn kerry's speech.ian official, saeb erekat, said mr abbas was convinced that peace with israel was achievable, but only if israel halts settlement building before talks restarted. president abbas is fully convinced that a just, comprehensive and lasting peace can be achieved and is doable on all core issues on the basis of the peace initiative, specify terms of reference, which guarantees to fully and the israeli occupation. hussein ibish is a senior resident scholar at the arab gulf states institute in washington. good to talk to you. i guess the first thought is surely what the point of of this now if mr kerry said some years ago, perhaps, but isn't it now beside the point? to some extent it is. i do agree with that and it's a point i have made all day. it would have been potentially a very historic speech two, three orfour potentially a very historic speech two, three or four years ago, especially if it was backed up with real policies with consequences, so right now it's a bit of a rhetorical exerc

since then we've heard from palestinian president mahmoud abbas responding tojohn kerry's speech., saeb erekat, said mr abbas was convinced that peace with israel was achievable, but only if israel halts settlement building before talks restarted. president abbas is fully convinced that a just, comprehensive and lasting peace can be achieved and is doable on all core issues on the basis of the peace initiative, specify terms of reference, which guarantees to fully and the israeli occupation. assistant professor guy ziv is from american university in washington dc. he's been analysing israeli politics and the role of the us in finding a two state solution. there is no peace process, no two—state solution really on the table, this is all slightly beside the point giving the —— even the incoming administration.” the point giving the —— even the incoming administration. i certainly think that kerry's speech would have made a greater difference if it was made a greater difference if it was made a greater difference if it was made a few years ago. it is better late than never. i think i

reporter: as prime minister netanyahu conclude his response, palestinian president mahmoud abbas released a statement, say he is ready to peace negotiation. tom: donald trump saying that. john kerry's speech spoke for itself, president-elect taking aim the united nations over its censure of israel. >> you see the u.n. solving problem, they don't. they cause problems. if it lives up to potential it is a freigh great thing. tom: president-elect took to twitter to reassure israel, we cannot continue to let israel be treated is such total disdain and disrespect, they used to have a great friend in the u.s. but not any more, the beginning of the end was horrible iran deal, and thousand this u.n. stay strong israel, january 20 fast approaching. prime minister netanyahu thanked trump forever his clear cut support of israel. >> israel looks forward to working with president-elect trump and with american congress, democrats and rings republicans alike to mitigate the damage that this resolution has done and to repeal it. tom: joining me now, tomorrower congressman pete -- what -- listen this is fo

mahmoud abbas said that palestinian leadership is ready to resume talks if i can't recall is ready toeze all settlement activities including those in east jerusalem. they want negotiations to be based on friday's u.n. resolution. ed, that alone may be a nonstart are for israeli leadership. tonight's speech israeli backlash from officials, word on the street, people talking about on the street is, i guess you could say the climb max of several days of fierce political battles, fiery political rhetoric after friday's u.n. resolution vote. and there certainly, ed, was no love loss between israeli prime minister netanyahu and secretary of state kerry. i'm sure people will be talking about this tomorrow as well. as one official said to me earlier tonight boy, what a night, huh, john? ed, back to you. >> to say the least. thank you for cutting through all that rhetoric. we thank you for staying up well past 2:00 a.m. in jerusalem to give us that report. if i don't get to talk to you before the weekend happy new year, buddy. >> you too, ed, thank you. >> just a short time down in mar-a-lago

israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu called it shameful, while palestinian president mahmoud abbas said it was a big blow to policy. benjamin netanyahu released a statement, quote, israel rejects this shameful anti-israel resolution at the u.n. and will not abide by its terms at a time when the security council is not doing anything to stop the slaughter of half a million people in syria, it disgracefully gangs up on the one true democracy in the middle east, israel, and calls the western wall occupied territory. the resolution passed 14 votes to 0 with the u.s. abstaining. it demands they cease all activity in the territory, including east jerusalem. the u.s. envoy to the u.n., samantha power, said israel's settlement undermines israel's security. >> one cannot simultaneously champion expanding israeli settlements and champion a viable two-state solution that would end the conflict. one has to make a choice between settlements and separation. >> reporter: along with palestinian authority leader mahmoud abbas, the plo general described yesterday as a historic kay with what he said

. >> i want to play for you something that a palestinian leader and advisor to mahmoud abbas about workingp administration and the possibilities there. >> do you hope that the president-elect trump would really start focusing on us and our hands are extended, our hearts are open, our hopes are high and our prayers in the christmas' eve is that he is going to be the one to make the deal. absolutely we are willing, we are ready to move with him toward the journey to peace. the palestinian people need it, the israelis need it, the middle east needs it. how do we focus on the in fact you can no longer have the cake and eat it too. >> the prime minister netanyahu has made it very clear is that he is very clear to looking forward to a trump administration too. does that give you hope what you just heard, perhaps a new administration in the u.s., with a very different approach and a different history, maybe a lack thereof could be what's needed? >> i am indeed hopeful about the future and so is the prime minister. he looks forward to working with the president-elect. and it's our sincere desire a

. >> you know, mahmoud abbas were classmates in moscow where they became acquainted with a young vladimir putin so these are deep ties. >> deep. well, those three people were not classmates in moscow or anywhere. for starters, putin is a good decade and a half younger than the other two. ben carson later said he learned about the ties between those leaders from a group he would not name including the cia and there's a lot more information i've gotten that's probably not appropriate for the revelation. >> we also must recognize it's a very complex placement you know, the chinese are there as well as the russians and you have all kinds of factions there. >> that could have been a simple misstatement. we all make them. but what's important, rather than deal with that kind of a defense, carson aides just doubled down. they said their own special intelligence determined china had deployed in syria, which it had not. ben carson was getting a lot of weird and accurate information from a lot of places in the campaign and we haven't mentioned the story he likes to tell about how there was a star o

. >> actually, again, mahmoud abbas has again and again accepted israel's right to exist and land swaps the west bank, too. tremendous problem. >> then when any possibility comes up such as the clinton parameters. such as the clinton parameters back in the last days of the clinton administration, which was a compromise. it was tough from israel's point of view, but the knesset accepted it but the palestinians would not. that was the last time we had a real chance for a two-state solution. israel accepted it. the palestinians didn't and they lie about it. the palestinians lie about it all the time. >> look, we could, i could debate you on 2000, but we can go more recently. if you want to look at 2013, 2014. the kerry the obama administration the single biggest obstacle were israeli settlements. >> the obama administration has nothing to say about -- has nothing, has nothing to say about any of this that is not pro-palestinian. sometimes it's quietly pro-palestinian. sometimes it's blatancy, sir. >> let's listen to what secretary kerry said about condemning that violence in his speech yes

here's more from senior adviser to palestinian president mahmoud abbas. >> it's a victory for peace. if mr. netanyahu wants two-state resolution, he should be celebrating. it's a victory tore internationalism and international responsibility to bring about peace and security worldwide. this is not a resolution against israel. in is a resolution against israel's expansion. >> for analysis of all we're talking about, i want to bring in cnn global affairs analyst, aaron david, who has advised six nations on mideast peace. let me get your reaction to hearing netanyahu has suspended working ties with the 12 nation who is condemned the settlements. are you there? >> yeah. largely symbolic, but i think it reflects deep disappointment and anger on the part of the prime minister. also a sense on his part of frustration. as he tried to mobilize the president-elect, he tried to mobilize egyptian president cici, and he did not succeed. let's be clear, egypt voted for that resolution as well. i guarantee you, the israelis are not going to risk damaging and undermining that functional relationship

in fact, two-thirds of israelis say they would like him to reengage with mahmoud abbas and start a peacerocess again. so these politics are not something that trump is going to simply walk into and say well, i'm going to stand with netanyahu and come hell or high water, that's going to be what we do. that is not in keeping with israeli public opinion, not in keeping with u.s. public opinion and not in keeping with what generations of not only american but israeli administrations have done. you have got to remember, everybody from ohmert to sharon dismantled settlements. this is not something that's really up for a lot of discussion about whether we should have them or not. the israeli supreme court has ruled that many of them are illegal. trump is going to find a much more nuanced position i'm pretty sure the minute after he takes office. >> all right. we will see how nuance fits the next president, donald trump. appreciate that. thank you so much. happy holidays. >>> still to come, the democrats lost the white house. president obama is confident his vision is what the american economy n

netanyahu and the palestinian leader mahmoud abbas recently greeted each other at the funeral of formerraeli president shimon peres. but the two have not held open, direct negotiations in over six years, for which they blame each other. what kind of a state is it going to be if you just, you know, don't do anything? >> netanyahu: i'm not going to just not do anything. i'm going to do something. >> stahl: well, if you don't negotiate with the palestinians- - >> netanyahu: well, i'm willing to negotiate with them at any moment. >> stahl: and if it doesn't happen? >> netanyahu: i haven't reversed my position. i've said, "look, we will solve this because we want two nation states at peace and with the proper security arrangements. >> stahl: you would be pushing for a two-state solution if that-- >> netanyahu: two states for two peoples. and that's where i'm focused. yeah, i'd like to have president trump, when he gets into the white house, help me work on that. i'd like to see if the arab states can help me achieve that. it's a new reality. a new possibility. (announcer vo) when you have ty

mahmoud abbas said on tuesday that the resolution showed that the world rejected settlements.e hopes a conference in paris in mid-january, just a week before barack obama leaves office, would lead to an international framework for peace. we haven't heard from abbas' office since kerry's speech, though we're expecting a statement today. but netanyahu's scolding of kerry was far more harsh. he called kerry biased, said that israel doesn't need to be lectured, and once again accused of u.s. of orchestrating this u.n. resolution, a charge that kerry has denied. as you mentioned, kerry delivered a speech yesterday that took israel to task. he set aside unique criticism for prime minister netanyahu. this came days after the u.s. abstained from a u.n. resolution last week that condemned israel's continued settlement expansion in the occupied west bank. e resolution called further settlements, quote, a flagrant violation of international law. this in the twilight of the obama administration with less than a month to go before president donald trump takes over. now, predictably, trump

here's more from senior adviser to the palestinian president mahmoud abbas. >> it's a victory for peace because if mr. netanyahu means a two-state solution he should be happy and celebrating this resolution. it's a victory for internationalism and the international responsibility to bring about peace and security worldwide. and this is not resolution against israel. this is resolution against israel's expansion. >> and that is a perfect point at which to start discussing all of this. for that we're joined by cnn global affairs analyst david rhodes and cnn.com opinion contributor frieda. david, it seems like this is a rock bottom low certainly between prime minister netanyahu and president obama. what does it really mean in the long run, especially when you have donald trump taking office in 25 days? >> i don't think it means much in the long run, frankly. i think criticizing obama helps netanyahu domestically in israel. all politics are local and that's his most important audience, israel. potentially obama was trying to boost his support in the democratic base that opposes these increa

leadership decided for ten years now not to hold an election, because they know that president mahmoud abbas will be defeated by hamas. we haven't stopped their election. we have to deal with these untruths all the time, jake, but the fact of the matter is, we have been waiting for eight years at a negotiating table for the palestinians to show up. prime minister netanyahu said it again and again he's willing to negotiate directly with the palestinian leadership without preconditions to reach a solution based and two states for two peoples and every time he has stuck out his hand in peace to president abbas it has been swatted away, and now this resolution comes, which enables the palestinians not only to overrun the peace process not to sit down at the peace table but to take israel to court and brand israel as an international criminal and sanction and boycott us and they're going to do that not to get a better two-state solution but to take us down. >> do you think that, is that why israel seems to be making a much bigger deal out of this abstention by the united states and the u.n. secur

palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas called it a big blow to israel's policies. prime minister netanyahu earlier this evening added to all this again, saying that israel will continue to reject the resolution and that it will function, he says, and these are his words, as a general call for arms to our allies around the world, friends who have had enough of the way the u.n. treats israel. molly? >> reporting from jerusalem on the political fallout there. thank you. >>> and of course all this comes after president-elect trump called on the obama administration to veto that u.n. resolution following the security council vote yesterday. mr. trump said things will be different under his presidency at the united nations. he tweeted, come inauguration day, january 20th. >>> for a look at what the to expect, derek penny from palm beach covering the president-elect at his ma mar-a-lago estate there. >> reporter: good afternoon. israeli leaders are looking forward to this kind of difference with president-elect trump leading up to the u.n. security vote on thursday. donal

palestinians incite violence against israeliss and palestinian authority mahmoud abbas says somethingifferent in english than in arabic to his own people where the prospects of peace go. neither side is interested in anything john kerry has to say. furthermore what i find interesting in all of this is that you have split within israeli community, ehud barak, saying that he supported what john kerry said. majority of israelis support what john kerry said. my attitude is the following. unless the israelis and the palestinians decide to in good faith sit down, the way the jordanians and israelis sat down at one point, the way egyptians in 1979 with anwar sadat sat down with israel helies and said here are the status, this is the status we're going to negotiate. we're going to give up certain land for peace the way the, the way the egyptians did back in the '70s. that is not goings to happen. >> they have already done it. they pulled out of gaza in 2005 and when they did all the hamas folks shot rockets in israel. >> three wars since then. three wars since they pulled out of gaza. sandra:

very parameters that secretary kerry presented yesterday were presented through a person later, mahmoud abbason march 2014, in march 2014, at the white house, and he promised an answer in eight days, and never came back. >> so david, let me ask you, because right now it seems as though secretary kerry and others in the u.s. government, in the obama administration, are concerned that netanyahu and other israeli leaders are essentially abandoning a two-state solution. do you see any evidence that the palestinian leadership, whether the pol or hamas, or any other palestinian leadership group believed that there should be a two-state solution? it seems as though their charters, whether it's hamas or the plo, call for a one-state solution, a palestinian state. >> okay, i would draw a distinction, jake, between hamas and the pa. because hamas is not the size of a telephone booth. the pa changed their charter when the president came to gaza in 2008. i think the p.a. would like peace but on their terms and those terms are not attainable. when kerry was involved in 2013, '14, and i was part of the eff

prime minister netanyahu and palestinian president mahmoud abbas last shook hands in september at theor israeli president shimon peres who shared a nobel prize for forging a peace deal. it was the closest abbas and netanyahu came to talking publicly in years. in time we'll find out if president-elect trump can change that. president-elect donald trump brings an outsider's perspective to the israeli/palestinian conflict, that of a businessman not a politician and maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what the conflict needs. but presidents who have handled or worked on the conflict have done so generally with more sensitivity than trump has shown. either way, trump lch his chance in just under three weeks. oren lieberman, cnn, jerusalem. >>> next, two russian compounds on u.s. soil have been effectively shut down in the wake of the obama administration's against russia. are they essentially spy head quarters? plus 35 russians being expelled. we'll discuss next. >>> plus, vladimir putin is responding to president obama's sanctions with a holiday card and an invitation to the kremlin. what's

palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas released a statement saying that the palestinians are willing to negotiate and go into peace talks and resume peace talks if israel is willing to put a freeze on all settlement activity, but another israeli official that i spoke with tonight said that's not an option, israel's policy has always been no preconditions going into any peace talks, going into any negotiations. and another point, palestinian authority president abbas said in order to continue negotiat n negotiations the palestinians wan jerusalem as the capital of a palestinian state and israelis say that's not an option as well. jon? >> john huddy, thank you. >>> much more ahead on israel's reaction to the united states and washington's decision not to veto the united nations controversial settlement measure. can the trump administration repair relations with the jewish state and pave a path toward peace in the mideast? >>> plus, russian soldiers on the ground in aleppo, just days after syria's murderous dictator bashar al assad declared his biggest victim ary yet. that's coming up.

simply unable and unwilling, both president -- prime minister benjamin netanyahu and president mahmoud abbasices on the core issues that drive, border, security, jerusalem, refugees, end of claims, recognizing the state of israel and the jewish people. to make the kinds of choices that would allow an external mediator to mediate. and whether it's settlement expansion or the resolution to -- or extension on the resolution on settlements, on friday, that painful and politically inconvenient reality, that's the thing that's not going to go away. unless israelis and palestinians are confronted with enough prospects of gain and i'm sorry to say, probably a fair measure of pain, to motivate them, i suspect you and i are going to be having this same conversation next year. >> aaron, quickly before we let you go here, we saw there from president clinton his parameters for peace. just a week and a half or so, maybe two weeks before the end of the administration. but the president delivered those remarks himself. from your perspective, the significance of not hearing this from president obama, but ins

big draw always beingbig drw midnight mass with the latin patriarch of jerusalem mad president mahmoud abbasn leaders toea laud the passage of the un resolution friday that wasthat w certainly on the minds of people who attended mass mas today.da politics aside tourism numbersbs up in bethlehem this yearea because of the relative quiet qt at least compared to last yearps when there was a wave ofen there terror attacks in parts w ofts israel including jerusalem andea the west bank leading up to christmas and on christmas eve and christmas day. so, while it may be calmerlmer this year, there's always an underlying tension as terrorism and war continues tooo plague the middle east andue t that was part of the message today at the vatican. >> ♪♪>> >> reporter: thousandsan packed saint peter's square toat hear pope francis' christmashrtm message calling for peace andnd co-existence in a world he says scarred by war sca particularly in syria.yria [speaking foreign language]n lan >>> pope francis said, it'sd, time for weapons to b s forever in syria and the international community toy to actively s

president arafat appoints mahmoud abbas as prime minister without any real constituency.er standing back for two years, u.s. president george w. bush specifically calls for a palestinian state as part of the so-called "roadmap for peace." squeezed between hamas on one side and jewish settlers on the other, moderates on all sides wonder if these are the men to finally make jerusalem the capital of two states. in the region of northern africa and southwestern asia, turkey is one of the most strategically located countries in the world. americans learned why when turkey did not allow the u.s. access to invade neighboring iraq, despite nato membership and an offer of $6 billion. but turkey was torn, as they are on many other issues. are they european or asian? are they secular or islamist? are they democratic or authoritarian? are they urban or rural? here we explore the regional geography of turkey and its largest city. half european, half asian, istanbul is the cultural and commercial heart of turkey. it's a city of great contrasts. the traditional shops in the grand bazaar

shortly after the speech the palestinian president mahmoud abbas released a statement he is willing toing. leland: he said don't take friend to the security council started with the u.s. resolution that the u.s. didn't veto. did secretary kerry talk about that, do they have evidence that they did orchestrate the resolution. reporter: much of the speech was in defense of u.s. action. the u.s. abstained from blocking resolution, they didn't vote for it, but abstaining allowed it to pass the u.n. security council. israelis charge they orchestrated this vote and that is something kerry denies. >> the united states did not draft or originate this resolution, nor did we put it forward. it was drafted by egypt, it was drafted and i think introduced by egypt, which is one of israel's closest friends in the region in coordination with the palestinians and others. reporter: israel, or secretary of state john kerry also says that this, and framed this as something that is not new for u.s. policy. the that previous administrations of both political parties allowed resolutions critical of israel to

at the last moment, mahmoud abbas refused to sign the agreement.it's also the fact, we were ready to open up and return all the swaps and everything. another maybe illustration what the real problem of solution between us and palestinians. >> just a period on this topic, do you think the vote on monday to legalize some of the settlements should be postponed until after the united states and israel get together and on the same page? >> you know, i clarified my position in cabinet publicly, in press, and i think it's much better to postpone all of this legislation and steps until 22 january. >> anti-semitism reared its head quite a bit during the presidential election, in a way that i think probably a lot of americans under a certain age had not seen perhaps ever in their lifetime. how much notice did they get in israel, these rise of the so-called all right, a lot of them are anti-semites, white supremacists, and almost unanimously supported the president-elect, which is not to say his supporters are the way but certainly a minority were. did that g

always being midnight mass where the latin patriarch of jerusalem made special attention of mahmoud abbas.s. abbasinian leaders to laud to the passage of the un resolution friday. it was certa finly on rithe min of people who attended mass m daday. politics aside, tourismou numbers were up in bethlehem bel because of the relative quietui compared to last year whenr there was a wave of terror ofero attacks in parts of israel including jerusalem and thelem west bank leading up to to christmas and on christmas evere and christmas day.ay so, while it may be calmer be cm underlying tension as terrorism and war continues tott plague the middle east and t mil that was part of the message today at the vatican. >> ♪♪ >> reporter: thousands thousands packed saint peter'sat square to hear pope francis'rais message calling for peace andced co-existence in world he says s scarred by war particularly in syria. syri [speaking foreign language]ing e >> reporter: pope francisigep said it's time foror weapons to be still forever in syria andnd the international community to actively seek a negotiatedegiate solution

we action tost: the speech from secretary kerry, " reports that mahmoud abbas responded by calling onsrael to freeze housing construction in order to restart .egotiations "the minute they agree to cease all activities around east jerusalem and agreed to implement the signed agreement based on mutual reciprocity, the palestinian leadership stands ready to resume -- resume permanent status edwards, calling from washington, d.c.. what do you think about this, edward? i teach the prophecy. the obama administration has to israel.ndest giving them more than all the other presidents in the past. israel, it wasf the invitation from the republican congress, but they have gotten more help from barack obama and john correct -- john kerry was correct. the israelis had the most modern defense system under the aid of the artillery. read your bibles, please, republicans. they go from the sea of galilee all the way to the dead sea in the jordan river, which goes wrong along the west bank. the only possible solution for peace in israel is the arrangement between the palestine's and the israelis, the a