Abbas says he won't return to negotiations without an Israeli construction freeze, arguing that Israel's building on war-won land pre-empts the outcome of talks on a border between Israel and a future state of Palestine.
Yasser Abed-Rabbo, an aide Abbas, said before the meeting that the Palestinians will tell Obama they won't return to negotiations with Israel without a settlement freeze.
The Penguins moved into the top spot in the Eastern Conference even without star center Evgeni Malkin who missed his fifth consecutive game and played the final two periods without defenseman Kris Letang, who didn't return after the first intermission following a seemingly innocuous collision with Boston's Brad Marchand.