(U.S. President Barack Obama with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. George Mitchell)
President Obama’s Middle East peace envoy, George Mitchell, has worked tirelessly to bring Israel and the Palestinians together in order to pave the way for the establishment of two states – one Jewish, one Palestinian - living side-by-side in peace and security. We appreciate his efforts to set up negotiations and deeply regret Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s continued unwillingness to negotiate directly with his Israeli counterpart without preconditions.
Mitchell understood and made clear to the parties that the only way to true peace is by sitting together and talking face-to-face in direct, bilateral negotiations. Rather than make peace with Israel, Abbas has elected to reconcile with Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization responsible for the death of countless civilians and unwilling to recognize the existence of the Jewish state.
