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Last update - 00:44 01/01/2009
America's election message
By Haaretz Editorial
Tags: israel elections, settlements 

U.S. President Barack Obama promised after his inauguration to pursue Middle East peace "actively and aggressively." Today, former U.S. senator George Mitchell arrives in Jerusalem for his first visit to the region as Obama's special envoy to the Middle East. His election-eve visit is intended to send Israeli voters and candidates the message that Obama means what he says and that the new administration will be judged by its contribution to bringing peace closer.



During his election campaign, Obama promised to tackle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict immediately rather than waiting until the end of his term, as George W. Bush did. The time has come to make good on that promise. The president has not put forth a detailed peace plan. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said Mitchell was coming here to listen, ahead of formulating a position, and that the United States would not issue orders to the Israelis and Palestinians or tell them what's best for them. But it is not hard to discern his intentions; Mitchell gained fame as a successful mediator in the peace process in Northern Ireland, and upon his new appointment he declared that there are no conflicts that cannot be solved.
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On a previous visit to the region, as chairman of the Sharm el-Sheikh fact-finding committee on the second intifada, Mitchell took a determined stance against Palestinian terror as well as against the expansion of settlements and Israel's imposition of closures on the Palestinian population. He called for a total freeze on construction in the settlements and an end to the "natural growth" tactic under which Israel increased the number of settlers in the West Bank. His positions are unlikely to have changed since 2001, and they almost certainly express the approach of the new administration.

Israeli voters must know that the Obama government will be intolerant of construction in the settlements, as well as measures that hurt the Palestinians, such as closures and checkpoints. It will make every effort to bring about a two-state solution. Anyone for whom Israel's relations with the United States is important must vote for parties that support a peace agreement with the Palestinians, out of the recognition that the right-wing parties that support settlement expansion jeopardize Israel's international standing as well as its security, both of which are dependent on American support.

This message is also geared toward Israel's political leadership, particularly Benjamin Netanyahu, who is leading in the opinion polls. His platform, which rejects the creation of a Palestinian state, and his statements in favor of "natural growth" in the settlements, place him on a collision course with Washington - especially if the senior partner in his coalition is Avigdor Lieberman.
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  1.   Agreed 00:41  |  Dameocrat 01/01/09
  2.   Lesser of two evils 00:44  |  Rod 01/01/09
  3.   Obama is not the Prime Minister of Israel 00:54  |  Zev 01/01/09
  4.   Obama Not Against Jewish Housing 00:56  |  Baruch Gold 01/01/09
  5.   Ignore this Idiot 00:00  |  build settlements 01/01/09
  6.   Too Many Bloodied Hands Reaching For Israel`s Jugular So ... 00:14  |  Lavi 01/01/09
  7.   Jews have rights to live 00:39  |  NB 01/01/09
  8.   Four possible solutions 00:39  |  David 01/01/09
  9.   You only get one chance to make a first impression 00:41  |  Natallie Durson 01/01/09
  10.   ABSOLUTELY! 00:52  |  S 01/01/09
  11.   The EU has already given the Israeli people a very strong message 00:01  |  Swiss (Dino) 01/01/09
  12.   # 8 Every single Israeli citizen should read Davids post..... 00:24  |  Swiss (Dino) 01/01/09
  13.   Israel can`t let B. Hussein be seen to call the shots 00:48  |  Nechama 01/01/09
  14.   "Natural growth" falacy... 00:59  |  Esther 01/01/09
  15.   Terrorist funding is the problem. Settlers are not the problem. 00:13  |  Michael J 01/01/09
  16.   NB at #7 00:24  |  Stephen Connor 01/01/09
  17.   david, one more solution 00:27  |  nina 01/01/09
  18.   David in Boston 00:31  |  Stephen Connor 01/01/09
  19.   Nechama @ 13 00:36  |  Stephen Connor 01/01/09
  20.   #3 Zev Problem is the Settlements 00:37  |  Jenna 01/01/09
  21.   Michael J. in Canberra 00:43  |  Stephen Connor 01/01/09
  22.   Message to Zev 00:53  |  Jezreel 01/01/09
  23.   Now the settlements, and before they were built..? 00:10  |  Romy 01/01/09
  24.   You`re not going to like this, but...... 00:10  |  Carin 01/01/09
  25.   Israel Should Annex what IT is going to Annex 00:16  |  nate 01/01/09
  26.   I fully agree 00:00  |  Farooq 01/01/09
  27.   Why not one democratic state with right of return to both........ 00:35  |  Joe 01/01/09
  28.   editorial 00:32  |  yaakov 01/01/09
  29.   Reality 00:36  |  Me 01/01/09
  30.   to Joe #27 00:56  |  zeev 01/01/09
  31.   The removal of settlements and Arabs goals.... 00:04  |  Romy 01/01/09
  32.   The USA has plenty of leverage 00:10  |  David 01/01/09
  33.   sstephen reappears but still lives in lalla land 00:25  |  v hardman 01/01/09
  34.   Obama 00:26  |  daniel 01/01/09
  35.   Outposts 00:29  |  arik 01/01/09
  36.   Oh, yes Obama needs a big stick like Teddy Roosevelt... 00:31  |  Dutch 01/01/09
  37.   Message from Washington 00:40  |  Avi Yerushalmi 01/01/09
  38.   Agree 00:40  |  Philip Craig 01/01/09
  39.   To #20 -Jenna -- Arab`s problem is Israel existence..be wise !! 00:48  |  Romy 01/01/09
  40.   Haaretz resolutely and consistently censores my posts 00:54  |  Terry 01/01/09
  41.   #34 daniel 00:17  |  John 01/01/09
  42.   DECEITFULLY CALLED Arab/Israeli Conflict, It`s GLOBAL JIHAD 00:18  |  Linda Rivera 01/01/09
  43.   No other way out 00:23  |  BEN 01/01/09
  44.   Response to #3 00:30  |  Aleister K. 01/01/09
  45.   #23 ROMY 00:31  |  Courcey 01/01/09
  46.   Jewish Settlements 00:39  |  Simcha 01/01/09
  47.   to nate #25 - 2nd try 00:59  |  zeev 01/01/09
  48.   My first post was also censored 00:13  |  Brod 01/01/09
  49.   To # 45- Courcey 00:35  |  Romy 01/01/09
  50.   Election Propaganda as TV Entertainment 00:07  |  Steve 01/01/09
  51.   Our right to settle our land doesn`t need Obama`s approval. 00:22  |  Chaim 01/01/09
  52.   Responding to "42" 00:37  |  Luiz Felipe Haddad 01/01/09
  53.   Settlements 00:38  |  John Weiss 01/01/09
  54.   #39 Romy from Avila 00:01  |  Jenna 01/01/09
  55.   #3 Obama is not the Prime Minister of Israel 00:21  |  alan 01/01/09
  56.   America`s election massage 00:47  |  rolf ideberg 01/01/09
  57.   US troops to the west bank or the day will come when... 00:48  |  Alex 01/01/09
  58.   Ha`aretz is Right 00:54  |  Moshe 01/01/09
  59.   To the Arabs, Tel Aviv is a "settlement" 00:30  |  Baruch 01/01/09
  60.   America`s Election Message 00:17  |  Joan 01/01/09
  61.   Tough Love Called For 00:18  |  Chaim 01/01/09
  62.   fifth scenario 00:24  |  Don 01/01/09
  63.   #12`s reference to #8 00:31  |  Suzanne Sherwood 01/01/09
  64.   Returning land acquired in `67 00:38  |  Suzanne 01/01/09
  65.   Humanity 00:10  |  Erik 01/01/09
  66.   Carin 00:29  |  Jane 01/01/09
  67.   Dutch 00:32  |  Jane 01/01/09
  68.   A Banana Republic Editorial 00:38  |  bob 01/01/09
  69.   Mistake? 00:44  |  Hernan 01/01/09
  70.   Solution #5 Israel a Jewish State withiin 1947 Partition borders 00:50  |  Monitor 01/01/09
  71.   OK, so what 00:17  |  Elias 01/01/09
  72.   Responding to Jane 00:11  |  Carin 01/01/09
  73.   1948 was a LONG time ago 00:17  |  Realism 01/01/09
  74.   settlements 00:28  |  facts on ground 01/01/09
  75.   Withdrawl from Judea and Samaria 00:12  |  Justin 01/01/09
  76.   Cold Day in Hades 00:32  |  Lazarus 01/01/09
  77.   to Romy #31 00:28  |  zeev 01/01/09
  78.   Face up to reality of the world 00:29  |  Woody 01/01/09
  79.   hussien vs hussien 00:30  |  ralph 01/01/09
  80.   Freezing settlements sends wrong message 00:35  |  Moshe 01/01/09
  81.   Notf Puerto Rico 00:43  |  Dov 01/01/09
  82.   58 Suzanne - New to Maine, are You? 00:59  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/01/09
  83.   Baruch Gold #4 is right - 2nd try 00:22  |  zeev 01/01/09
  84.   to Romy #49 00:39  |  zeev 01/01/09
  85.   #60-61, Jane 00:59  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/01/09
  86.   to Jane #61 00:28  |  zeev 01/01/09
  87.   To # Stephen Connor Ann Arbor 00:46  |  Michael J 01/01/09
  88.   to Michael J #86 00:31  |  zeev 01/01/09
  89.   #3 Zev, you are right 00:33  |  Mark B. 01/01/09
  90.   Obama is not the Prime Minister of Israel #2 00:20  |  Zev 01/01/09
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