Abbas rejects 'biased' US as sole mediator

UNITED NATIONS - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticized the US government Thursday, refusing to accept the United States as the sole mediator in the Middle East conflict, a day after US President Donald Trump promised a "very fair" peace plan.

The 82-year-old leader used his address to the UN General Assembly to attack US decisions to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, cut off funding for the Palestinians and close the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington.

Speaking a day after the US president said he favored a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and vowed to unveil a new peace plan within months, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump for his "unwavering support".