RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Gaps between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators only have widened in seven months and an extension of talks appears unlikely after what is bound to be a missed April 29 deadline for a framework deal, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday.

Abbas is meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on March 17 as the U.S. tries to press both sides to agree on a framework, or the ground rules for future negotiations. Obama held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House earlier this week.