Secretary of State Clinton Due in Israel Saturday to Revive Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations

Israel Today

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to travel to Israel Saturday (Oct. 31) for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas.

Middle East Envoy George Mitchell, who is due in Israel beforehand to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials, will accompany Clinton during her trip.[1]

Clinton will also pay a visit to Morocco Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 2-3), where she will attend a forum with Arab foreign ministers.[2]

In Israel, Clinton plans to ask Israeli leaders to strengthen their support for Abbas,[3] and will ask the same of Arab leaders at the Morocco forum.[4] Clinton will also meet with Abbas in Ramallah[5] to encourage the Palestinian leader to reengage in talks with Israel.[6] Abbas has refused to restart peace negotiations since Israel’s defensive operation in Gaza last year,[7] while Netanyahu has stated his desire to resume negotiations without preconditions.[8]

In a recent phone conversation with President Obama, Abbas reportedly threatened to resign his post out of frustration, a claim a top Abbas aide subsequently denied[9] but which Israelis say is a tactic to increase U.S. pressure on Israel.[10] Israel, the U.S. and other Western countries support Abbas’s PA government in the West Bank against Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the European Union,[11] the United States,[12] Israel,[13] Canada[14] and Australia.[15]

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Footnotes:

[1] “Clinton to Mideast for talks with leaders: Israeli official,” AFP, Oct. 27, 2009, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gVLvhku38OuS00pxlTFHsi6lBIzQ

[2] Mason, Jeff, “Clinton's influence in Team Obama: a nuanced role,” Reuters, Oct. 24, 2009, http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE59N0YN20091024

[3] Keinon, Herb, “Clinton due in Israel on ME tour to push talks,” The Jerusalem Post, Oct. 28, 2009, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1256557979165&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[4] Ravid, Barak, “PA negotiator: Israel painting us as 'untrustworthy bastards,'” Haaretz, Oct. 27, 2009, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1123821.html

[5] “Clinton to Mideast for talks with leaders: Israeli official,” AFP, Oct. 27, 2009, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gVLvhku38OuS00pxlTFHsi6lBIzQ

[6] Issacharoff, Avi, “Obama demands may leave Abbas feeling betrayed,” Haaretz, Oct. 28, 2009, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1124174.html

[7] “Abbas: Washington failed to end Israeli-Palestinian division on talks,” Xinhua, Oct. 24, 2009, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/24/content_12315982.htm

[8] Meranda, Amnon, “Netanyahu: Our leaders won't be prosecuted in Hague,” YnetNews, Oct. 12, 2009, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3788963,00.html

[9] Jpost staff; Toameh, Abu Khaled, “Senior aide denies report that Abbas threatened to resign,” The Jerusalem Post, Oct. 26, 2009, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1256557966559&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[10] Keinon, Herb, “Clinton due in Israel on ME tour to push talks,” The Jerusalem Post, Oct. 28, 2009, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1256557979165&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[11] "Council Decision," Council of the European Union, Dec. 21, 2005

[12] "Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)," U.S. Department of State Web site, Oct. 11, 2005, http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/37191.htm

[13] Wilson, Scott, "Hamas Sweeps Palestinian Elections, Complicating Peace Efforts in Mideast," The Washington Post , Jan. 27, 2006, accessed Jan. 18, 2006,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/26/AR2006012600372.html

[14] Public Security and Emergency Preparedness Canada, National Security, Listed entities, accessed Jan. 18, 2007, http://www.psepc.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp#hhi18

[15] "Listing of Terrorist Organisations," Australian Government Web site, May 24, 2007, http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/www/nationalsecurity.nsf/All Docs/95FB057CA3DECF30CA256FAB001F7FBD?OpenDocument

 

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