Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington on Sunday to address a Jewish gathering and hoping to meet President Barack Obama amid a delicate time in US efforts to restart Middle East peace talks.

Although officials in the hawkish premier's office expressed optimism that Netanyahu will see Obama during his three-day visit, the White House has yet to confirm such a meeting will take place.

"The prime minister is scheduled to speak before the general assembly (of the Jewish Federations of North America) and if other meetings are scheduled that will be great," Netanyahu's spokesman Mark Regev said.

Asked if the absence of a meeting with Obama would reveal a crisis in ties between the two allies amid Washington's foundering efforts to revive peace talks, another senior Israeli official gave an emphatic "no."

But Netanyahu will widely be seen as having been spurned if he does not meet Obama, since Israeli premiers hardly ever go to the United States without meeting the president.

This trip, however, comes at a delicate time for Washington and its sputtering efforts to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, a goal that the US administration has made the cornerstone of its Middle East policy.

After months of backing Palestinian demands for a total Jewish settlement freeze ahead of the resumption of peace talks, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Netanyahu's offer of easing construction as "unprecedented" during a visit to the region last week, triggering Palestinian fury.

Clinton later backtracked, but her statements were widely interpreted as a U-turn by Washington which, after months of pressing Israel on settlements, appeared to back off and pile the pressure instead on the Palestinians to relaunch talks without preconditions.

An Obama-Netanyahu meeting a little over a week after Clinton's remarks would be likely to reinforce that view among Palestinians, analysts said.

Days after Clinton's visit Washington's peace efforts were dealt another blow when Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas announced he would not stand for re-election in polls he has called for January.

Palestinian officials said the move came because he was disappointed with the US stance on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which the international community considers illegal.

The Palestinians want all settlement activity frozen before the resumption of peace talks that were suspended during Israel's war on the Gaza Strip at the turn of the year.

In Washington, Netanyahu is due to address the Jewish Federations conference on Monday and also plans to hold talks in Congress.

Obama was originally also scheduled to speak at the gathering, but has cancelled his appearance in order to attend a memorial service at Fort Hood military base after the massacre there, the organisation said on its website.

His chief of staff Rahm Emanuel will make a speech instead.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak is also due in Washington on Sunday for talks with his US counterpart Robert Gates and US special Middle East envoy George Mitchell, an official in his office told AFP.

From Washington, Netanyahu is due to fly to Paris to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy, Israeli officials said. France has not yet confirmed the meeting.

AFP

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