Friday April 17, 2009 08:43 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC& Agencies

Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, met on Thursday with the U.S envoy, George Mitchell, and told him that the Palestinian Authority want guarantees that the peace process will be genuine and will lead to a permanent peace deal.

Abbas added that the Palestinian Authority believes that talks conducted by Mitchell in the Middle East as very important and could revive the peace process.

Palestinian sources reported that the Palestinian Authority (P.A) is exploring with Mitchell the possibilities of forming an international committee that would be in charge of monitoring the peace process and the commitments of both sides to it.

 The sources added that the wants t make sure that the peace process would lead to a permanent and comprehensive peace deal especially since the new Israeli government is talking about “economic peace” with the Palestinians without statehood.

Furthermore, a senior Palestinian official said that the Palestinians are losing faith in the peace process especially since Israel is not honoring its commitments and is trying to impose its own vision of a solution.  

 The official added that the Palestinians want to make it clear to the Mitchell and the United States that they are committed to the Annapolis Summit, the Road Map peace plan, and the Arab Peace Initiative, and that the US must make sure that Israel respects its commitments.

 During his meetings with Israel’s President, Shimon Peres, and the Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, Mitchell said that the Obama administration is committed to a two-state solution, and expects Israel to make progress with the Palestinians.

 Mitchell will be visiting Ramallah on Friday to hold talks with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.

Furthermore, the Palestinian official added that unless there is a real Israeli commitment, and unless the peace process manages to achieve a positive progress, the Palestinians will totally lose faith in it.

Mitchell: the US backs the "Two-States Solution"

Thursday April 16, 2009 17:12 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies

The special U.S. envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, met with Israeli officials on Thursday. He reiterated his countries commitment to the peace in the region and the Two-State Solution.

Mitchell started his talks with a meeting with the Israeli President Shimon Peres. The meeting was focused on the Iranian-Israeli relations.

After the meeting Peres told reporters that Israel is not planning to attack Iran. Earlier this year Washington was not pleased by Israeli military statements that plans were made to attack Iran.

Later on Thursday Mitchell met with the Israeli foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. After the meeting Mitchell told reporters "I reiterated to the foreign minister that U.S. policy favors, with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a two-state solution which will have a Palestinian state living in peace alongside the Jewish state of Israel," Mitchell also said that Washington is still committed to Israels security.

FM Lieberman said that all past approaches have failed. "New ideas must be found, because the path taken by previous governments did not lead to "good places, to say the least," Lieberman told Israeli media.

Lieberman is a well-known radical right wing politician who calls for the deportation of all Arabs from Israel, and creating a Jewish only state. U.S. envoy is expected to meet the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Thursday. On Friday Mitchell will meet the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Netanyahu demands the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state

Friday April 17, 2009 01:17 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC& Agencies

During his meeting with the US envoy George Mitchell, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu , demanded the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a state for the Jewish people as a precondition for talks on a two-state solution.

Benjamin Netanyahu - Image reprinted from baltimore.indymedia.org

Netanyahu said that Israel expects the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state before two-state talks can be reached, and that under any peace agreement Israel must retain its interests.

He also said that Israel is not interested in controlling the Palestinians, but wants to make sure that the peace process will not lead to “another Hamasstan in Jerusalem”, referring to Hamas movement.

He also asked regional countries to cooperate with Israel in its campaign against Iran, and added that all countries in the region realize the “Iranian threat”.

Israeli president, Shimon Peres, said that Israel does not intend to attack Iran and added that the solution to the “Iranian nuclear agenda” cannot be resolved through a military action.    

It is worth mentioning that Mitchell also met with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, and Israel’s Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, in addition to a meeting with Israel’s President, Shimon Peres, and opposition leader, Tzipi Livni of the Kadima party.

Livni said that the stalled peace process weakens the moderates in the Palestinian and Israeli sides, and added that time is acting against Israel.

She also said that the two-state solution must ensure that Israel remains a Jewish state, with a Jewish majority that can make decisions in the best interests of the Jewish people.

After his meeting with Lieberman, Mitchell said that he explained to him that the United States grants priority to the two-state solution, and that the US expects a comprehensive political solution to the conflict.

Mitchell also said that he rejects the “economic peace” offered by Lieberman and Netanyahu, and added that the area needs economic development but as part of the whole peace process with the Palestinians.

Several ministers of the Netanyahu coalition government said that they oppose the two-state solution.

Minister Eli Yishai, of the Shas religious party, said that he opposes a two-state solution, and added that the solution should be “economy for two nations and not two states for two nations”.

Transportation Minister, Yisrael Katz, said that the government does not approve the two-state solution, and that the Annapolis deal is nonbinding.