State Department Middle East Envoy George Mitchell met yesterday with Israeli and Palestinian officials in Jerusalem and the West Bank, reaffirming the U.S. position of the need for a two-state solution. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that the historical approach to the peace process only weakened Israel and led to wars. Instead, Lieberman proposed economic stimulus in the territories as a non-traditional endeavour to bolster peace efforts. Mitchell expressed that the White House welcomes economic assistance to the Palestinians, but the aid cannot substitute a peace process aimed at Palestinian sovereignty. PA President Mahmoud Abbas also met with Mitchell, urging the envoy to pressure Israel to pursue a peace plan. The two even discussed the possibility of forming an international committee to monitor peace efforts. The Obama Administration is urging Israel to pursue concurrent peace plans with the Palestinians and Syria. Officials contend that the actualization of peace on both fronts would weaken Iranian influence, thereby easing negotiations over the country’s nuclear program. The plan under development by the White House resembles the Arab Peace Initiative originally draft by the Saudis, which gives Israel full diplomatic ties with the Arab world in exchange for an independent Palestinian state along 1967 borders. A symbol of the collision course between the Obama Administration and the right-leaning Netanyahu government in Israel occurred yesterday, with Lieberman forgetting to shake hands with Mitchell after a joint statement.
