Barak: Obama envoy Mitchell due in Israel this week

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, would return to the region on Wednesday to continue his efforts to revive peace talks.

Barak said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would apparently meet Obama in the second week of November, when the Israeli leader is due to address an American Jewish group in Washington.

"We intend to do our best to bring about the opening of significant negotiations with the Palestinians as soon as possible. This is important, necessary and, I would say, urgent," Barak told Labor MKs.

Just three Labor Party ministers attended the faction meeting at the Knesset which was convened on Monday by Barak.

One week after MK Daniel Ben-Simon resigned from his post as party chairman, Labor, which numbers 13 legislators in the 120-seat Knesset, finds itself in turmoil.

Ministers Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Isaac Herzog, and Avishay Braverman and MK Ben-Simon were the only Labor members present during the meeting, which included a discussion on the controversial Goldstone report.

Barak told his Labor colleagues that while Israel needs to confront the accusations of war crimes during last winter's Operation Cast Lead, it will not permit the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate Israel Defense Forces officers and soldiers.

The defense minister reiterated that Israel will provide full backing to all officers who served in the IDF during the war.

Barak said the IDF has investigated and will continue to investigate its operations more effectively and comprehensively than any other army.

"Israel will launch a campaign against the very legitimacy of the Goldstone Report, which is trying to place a question mark over Israel's legitimacy and is also attempting to tie its hands in the future," the defense minister said.