ISRAEL: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman says Palestinians "stifled" the peace efforts of outgoing US Middle East envoy Mitchell

Record ID: 396422

  • Title: ISRAEL: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman says Palestinians "stifled" the peace efforts of outgoing US Middle East envoy Mitchell
  • Date: 15th May 2011
  • Summary: REUT, ISRAEL (MAY 14, 2011) (REUTERS) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU'S SPOKESMAN MARK REGEV, TALKING ON MOBILE PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARK REGEV, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU'S SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to Senator Mitchell on the phone and thanked him for his service and his efforts to move the peace proces
  • Embargoed: 30th May 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel, Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA3LO81GILEJXOA32QKE7OS9VCF
  • Story Text: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman on Saturday (May 14) said the Palestinians "stifled" the efforts of outgoing U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell to promote peace negotiations.
    Mitchell announced his resignation on Friday (May 13), throwing a new question mark over the failed effort of U.S. President Barack Obama's administration to restart direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
    "Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to Senator Mitchell on the phone and thanked him for his service and his efforts to move the peace process forward. Unfortunately those efforts were stifled by a Palestinian leadership that refused to negotiate and that has now decided to make an alliance with Hamas, one of the most violent enemies of peace," Netanyahu's spokesman Mark Regev said.
    A former U.S. senator who helped broker the Northern Ireland peace deal, Mitchell was one of the first members named to Obama's foreign policy team. He shuttled between Washington and Middle East capitals in an unsuccessful bid to launch new negotiations.
    In his brief resignation letter, Mitchell said he had already worked beyond the two years he originally intended and would therefore step down effective next Friday.
    Obama said his deputy, David Hale, would step in as acting peace envoy after Mitchell's departure.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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