Palestine: Abbas Resign? It's a Bluff

Israel-Palestine: Clinton Tries to Help Abbas

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Just before the arrivals of the U.S. Mideast special envoy George Mitchell and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Israel, the declaration of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas that he would resign or decline to run in next January's elections have been exposed as a bluff.

A high-ranking figure in Fatah told journalists, "You can remain calm. On our side, no senior official resigns."

Israel: Clinton Arrives on Saturday for Talks

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Israel-Palestine: Clinton Tries to Help Abbas

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The US Government said yesterday that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will make her first official visit to Israel on Saturday following her meeting with Arab leaders in Morocco. President Obama's envoy George Mitchell will bein Israel for preparatory discussions from Thursday.

Clinton is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and President Shimon Peres on Sunday.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, accompanied by Mideast special envoy George Mitchell, submitted her report on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process to President Barack Obama on Thursday.

Despite Mitchell's many claims of "highly productive" discussions, Clinton's report says there has been little progress in efforts to renew stalled peace talks. Challenges remain even though Palestinians have strengthened their security efforts, and the Israelis have expressed a willingness to curtail settlement activity.

The White House still maintains that Mitchell will return to the region next week to relaunch negotiations. However, the Obama Administration needs a strategic manoeuvre to get both sides to the table. Washington is pursuing this through an attempt to bring in UN resolutions 242 and 338 on Israeli-Palestinian borders. Yet, given the full U.S. support to Israel's rejection of the UN resolution on Gaza, will this merely be another burden rather than the bricks to build a resolution?

Israel: Barak Repairing Position with US Government on Palestine Talks?

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On Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak called on government officials to coordinate with the United States to renew talks with the Palestinian Authority: "We must work with the American administration and consolidate an agreement to open negotiations as soon as possible, even if the conditions aren't perfect and even if we have to make difficult concessions."

Although Barak's suggestion follows the recent, inconclusive trip of President Obama's special envoy George Mitchell to Israel and Palestine, it may be spurred even more by domestic political considerations. Barak is enjoying a favourable wind, as Minister Avigdor Lieberman and possibly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be in trouble with Washington over their resistance to US demands for a full settlement freeze in the West Bank. If the Labour Party's top politician sees this spilling over into discontent amongst Israeli voters, he may be willing to push his position against his coaliation partners.

The Results of the Mitchell Israel-Palestine Trip: Nothing

On Sunday, U.S. special envoy George Mitchell went to Israel for a second set of talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Before the discussion, he told reporters: "It has been and remains an important objective of American policy and of President Obama and the secretary of state personally to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East." He added: "We understand that there are many difficulties, that there are many obstacles. But we are determined and committed to continue our efforts until that objective is reached."

After Mitchell's meeting, Netanyahu's office said the Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak had continued the talks with Mitchell to advance the peace process. Lower-level Israeli officials are to travel to Washington this week for further discussions.

Mitchell has completed his 9th tour of the region and returned home. The commitment of the U.S. President Barack Obama continues, but the envoy has not been given any concessions by either party. And this could well be the situation when he submits his report to the President in mid-October.