World Jewish News

Mitchell: Show restraint, avoid clashes

Laboring under the cloud of the flotilla episode and its aftermath, US envoy George Mitchell met Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak in separate meetings Thursday as part of his fourth round of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
One diplomatic official quipped that it was probably a good think the talks were indirect, because if they were direct on May 31 when the IDF raided the Gaza flotilla and nine people on the boat were killed, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would have been forced to cancel the negotiations.
Mitchell, prior to meeting Barak, said he intended to "pursue the discussions now underway, which we hope will lead to direct negotiation, which in turn will lead to a comprehensive agreement."
Mitchell said this was a period in which he urged all concerned to "exercise restraint" and to "avoid confrontation."
Diplomatic officials said that since the raid May 31 on the Turkish-flagged boat, the US, Isarel and the PA were struggling to ensure that any easement of the restriction on goods allowed into Gaza be credited to the Palestinian Authority and Abbas, and not to Hamas.
One way of doing this, the official said, was to place PA representatives at the crossings into Gaza where the cargo will enter.
Acknowledging that the talks with the Palestinians have been diverted and overshadowed by the flotilla affair, Barak said before his meeting with Mitchell that he hoped Mitchell would revive the intensity of the indirect talks which "we hope and believe need and can lead to direct negotiations."
Barak said there was a need to rise above the day-today affairs and deal with the "true layer" of the diplomatic process.
Barak has this week spoken in closed forums about the need for a far-reaching Israeli initiative in the diplomatic process in order to improve ties with the US and get Washington to help Israel relieve its current diplomatic isolation.
Mitchell, who arrived Wednesday evening, is scheduled to meet Palestinian officials on Friday in Ramallah, and possibly go to Cairo on Saturday for talks there as well.

By HERB KEINON

JPost.com