After a completely futile meeting last week, Mitchell will again meet Netanyahu on Sunday. Never mind the humiliation: Obama walked out of a meeting with Bibi, but he must meet Obama’s lowly rep on demand.
The repeat visit means that Netanyahu passed through Mitchell some alternative offers to Hussein and Mahmoud. The offers must have been important—Dan Shapiro, Obama’s shadow rep behind Mitchell, extended his stay in Israel for a week.
So far, Israel has been unable to satisfy Obama’s demands, which echo the most radical demands of Syria and the PLO. Obama insists that Israel abandon Jerusalem (including the Temple Mount and most settlements), cut her territory in half by allowing a Palestinian corridor from Gaza to the West Bank, and allow many refugees back into Israel.
But Abbas has already refused both renewed negotiations with Israel and Netanyahu’s cunning offer of a Palestinian state within temporary borders—which, of course, would have become permanent.
The only question remaining is, why do we send tax transfers to a government which refuses even to conduct peace negotiations with us?
I do not see a plan of negotiations will provide a great opportunity to Palestine, I think this is a great plan made by Netanyahu.