President Barack Obama intends on visiting Israel this summer to meet with members of the new Israeli government along with officials of the Palestinian Authority. The announcement comes as Obama reiterated his support for a two state solution in a speech before the Turkish Parliament yesterday. According to reports, he does not oppose the inclusion of Hamas in a Palestinian unity government, talks for which recently stalled but are scheduled to resume at the end of the month. Fatah even consistently reaffirms its support for a unity government, inclusive of Hamas, for the best interests of the Palestinians and Arabs. Prior to the visit, State Department Envoy George Mitchell will visit the region in an effort to bolster the peace process and lay the foundation for Obama’s arrival in June. The State Department’s release states:
“Special Envoy Mitchell will travel to the Middle East beginning April 13 to advance the goal of the two-state solution and comprehensive peace in the region. He is scheduled to meet with key officials in Israel and the Palestinian territories, Egypt, the Gulf, and North Africa. Special Envoy Mitchell’s aim for this trip is to discuss next steps in moving the parties toward a lasting peace that will benefit all the people of the region.”
Some Israeli officials voiced concern that U.S.-Israel ties would weaken and that the United Sates would place too much pressure on the Netanyahu government. Meanwhile, one op-ed in Gulf News censures Israel for its claim that the nation dismissed the peace process and that international isolation simply does not work. Instead, the author urges lobbying the United States to increase its pressure on Israel regarding the peace process.
Even though Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman assert that they will continue the peace process, albeit with certain caveats, their conditions may not be in-line with the demands of the United States. The Road Map mandates an immediate freeze on settlement expansion, however some reports indicate that Netanyahu and Lieberman intend on growing some settlements. Notably, Israel historically developed settlements surrounding Jerusalem in an effort to effectively annex the city in an eventually peace process. This strategy may take a decisive turn with intentions by the statesmen to expand the Mevasseret Adumim settlement, a move that would finalize the amputation of Jerusalem from the West Bank through the lack of a contiguous stretch of land populated solely by Palestinians.
