Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday left for the United States, but it was unclear whether he would meet with President Barack Obama during his visit, dpa reported. Netanyahu is set to address Jewish community activists in the US and although Israeli media reported that he would also meet Obama on Monday, there was no official confirmation that a meeting would take place. A spokesman for Netanyahu said that the trip had been planned independent of any expected parley with Obama. Netanyahu"s visit to the US comes amid a huge question mark over the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, following the announcement by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he will not seek re-election in the upcoming elections, and the efforts by Israel and Washington to find a formula which will facilitate a resumption of peace talks. The negotiations were suspended a year ago as Israel entered an election period, and have not been renewed since Netanyahu took office at the end of March. -- SPA
