Obama to meet with Netanyahu, Abbas on Tuesday

US President Barack Obama is to host a trilateral meeting on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the White House announced.

The trilateral meeting will be preceded by bilateral meetings between Obama and the two leaders, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said Saturday, to lay the groundwork for the relaunch of negotiations.

"It is another sign of the president's deep commitment to comprehensive peace that he wants to personally engage at this juncture, as we continue our efforts to encourage all sides to take responsibility for peace and to create a positive context for the resumption of negotiations," said special envoy George Mitchell.