George Mitchell news stories on Newser

Mideast Envoy George Mitchell to Resign

Fri, 13 May 2011 10:47:05 CDT

US officials say the Obama administration's special Mideast peace envoy, George Mitchell, is resigning after more than two largely fruitless years of trying to press Israel and the Palestinians into negotiations. The officials tell the AP that the White House is expected to announce today that the former senator and...

Biden Visits Israel to Kick-Start Talks

Rob Quinn — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:23:02 CST

Joe Biden has embarked upon a 5-day visit to the Middle East aimed at restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and persuading Israel to rely on sanctions against Iran instead of military action. The vice president will meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. But expectations on both sides are low after Israel...

Obama to Israeli, Palestinian Leaders: Get to Work

Nick McMaster — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:17:55 CDT

President Obama urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to restart peace talks, saying it was “time to move forward” on finding compromises to the contentious final status issues, the New York Times reports. Obama delivered his comments today after separate one-on-one meetings with Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas and just before...

Obama Meets With Abbas, Netanyahu Next Week

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:34:04 CDT

President Obama will host a meeting Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to lay the groundwork for renewed negotiations on Mideast peace. The three-way meeting, which will be on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly forum, will take place...

Quietly, Israel Backs Off New Settlements

Jason Farago — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:19:29 CDT

Benjamin Netanyahu has struck a hawkish tone on settlements since returning to the Israeli premiership, and his cabinet ministers insisted as recently as Monday that "there is no choice but to continue building." But quietly, his government has agreed to Barack Obama's demand to end new construction in the West...

Israel Willing to Freeze Settlements

Kevin Spak — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:00:00 CDT

The Israeli government approved the construction of 50 new West Bank homes today, seemingly defying President Obama’s call for a freeze on new settlements. But Defense Minister Ehud Barak plans to offer a temporarily halt on some construction, officials tell the New York Times , if Palestinians agree to negotiate an...

Mitchell Pushes Two-State Solution in Israel

Nick McMaster — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:49:19 CDT

The Obama administration’s envoy to the Middle East told the Israeli government today that Washington will “vigorously pursue” the creation of a Palestinian state, Reuters reports. George Mitchell stated America’s purpose as a means to organize statehood talks with Israel; PM Benjamin Netanyahu said it would first be necessary for...

In Middle East, Clinton Faces New Troubles

Jason Farago — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:42:55 CST

Hillary Clinton arrived in Egypt last night, beginning her trip to the Middle East at a conference aimed at raising reconstruction money for Gaza. The secretary of state has enlisted a team of diplomats with long experience in Mideast negotiations, led by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell. But as...

Clinton the Campaigner Moves to State—for Good or Ill

Gabriel Winant — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:47:00 CST

As Hillary Clinton takes over the State Department, it's worth remembering that her train-wreck presidential campaign followed an "audacious 2000 run for Senate" and an excellent record as a legislator, Michael Crowley writes for the New Republic. "The question—not only for Hillary's legacy but for US foreign policy—is...