Mission Impossible? Mitchell Heads to Middle East

JERUSALEM, April 15, 2009 — -- U.S. Middle East special envoy, former senator George Mitchell, lands in Israel today for his first meetings with officials of the new Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The key question is whether Netanyahu will commit to the two-state solution and the creation of a Palestinian state. So far, he has refused to do so, and his hawkish foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, warns that Israel is no longer in the business of making concessions for peace. The early signs suggest a confrontation with the United States.

Netanyahu has said he will continue the peace process, but by not supporting Palestinian statehood, he is breaking with the policy of previous Israeli governments. Instead of a state, he has talked of a degree of self-rule with the development of the Palestinian economy as an urgent priority.

The U.S. administration has not shied away from making its position clear. Mitchell underlined the U.S. commitment to the two-state solution during talks in Algeria Tuesday, echoing President Obama's very clear commitment during his recent speech in Turkey.

"We believe that the two-state solution, two states living side by side in peace, is the best and only way to resolve this conflict, and we will be pursuing that objective in meetings," said Mitchell.

Netanyahu heads a right-wing coalition of political parties aligned with the settlement movement and those who believe Israel must retain control of the West Bank. He is seen as pragmatic, but it is not clear how much room for maneuver his partners will allow him.

The strategic priority in his relationship with the United States is the Iranian nuclear threat and his concerns about Obama's desire to talk with Tehran.