Israel-Palestine: Still Awaiting the Mitchell-Netanyahu Meeting

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled meeting with the U.S. Mideast special envoy George Mitchell was postponed to Tuesday to allow the Israeli leader to attend the funeral of Air Force pilot Capt. Asaf Ramon, who was killed in a training accident.

At the critical meeting, both sides are expected to focus on the timetable and essence of the settlement freeze and on further steps, including Arab concessions for "normalization" of relations with Israel, before the UN General Assembly meeting later this month.

In advance, Mitchell met with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. The US envoy reiterated the Obama Administration's motto of "two states for two peoples" and its call for the normalization between Israel and Arab countries:

While we have not yet reached agreement on any outstanding issues, we are working hard to do so, and indeed the purpose of my visit here this week is to attempt to do so.

While the suggestions that we have finalized and reached agreement on a range of issues [are] inaccurate because they are premature, we hope they will be accurate in terms of moving forward in the very near future.

Netanyahu said earlier on Sunday that differences remain with the U.S. over the conditions necessary to resume peacemaking. These included the timetable on a settlement freeze --- Israeli wants a six-month freeze that can be extended in return of positive steps from Arabs; the Americans are demanding at least nine months --- and whether Israel can construct public buildings in the name of "natural growth. The Prime Minister said he hopes to narrow the gaps between the two sides in the next meeting with Mitchell.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Sunday evening to discuss regional peace initiatives and the status of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. "All sides --- Israel, the Palestinians, Arab nations and the international community --- must do their part in advancing the peace process," was the statement from Netanyahu's office after the meeting.