Obama phones Netanyahu in bid to ease tensions; Mitchell arrives for talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama talked on the telephone last night, amid mounting tensions in the relations between the two countries over Washington's demand that Israel freeze all settlement construction.

The Prime Minister's Bureau issued a statement yesterday describing the conversation as positive and saying that Netanyahu had updated Obama on his plan to make an important political speech at Bar-Ilan University on Sunday, where he will outline his program for peace and security.

Obama reportedly said that he is eager to hear the speech and the two leaders agreed to continue their telephone exchanges.

Meanwhile, George Mitchell, the special U.S. envoy to the Middle East, arrived in Israel yesterday and will meet Netanyahu today. Mitchell is scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas tomorrow. He will later continue onward to Lebanon and Syria.

The envoy reportedly told former MK Yossi Beilin that he would like to commence negotiations on the core issues of the final status agreement as soon as possible.

Aside from meeting Prime Minister Netanyahu, Mitchell and his aides will also meet President Shimon Peres, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. The talks are expected to focus on settlement construction in the West Bank.

Mitchell is also expected to raise the possibility of resuming negotiations on the Syrian track. With this in mind, Fred Hoff, Mitchell's chief of staff and a Syria expert, is expected to arrive in Israel, too.

Another matter expected to top the agenda during the meetings is the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu and Barak will brief Mitchell about Wednesday's scheduled special cabinet meeting on the subject, expected to result in a decision to lift restrictions on importing foodstuffs and other goods into the Strip. The cabinet is also expected to lift the ban on exports.

Meanwhile, Abbas met with Beilin at the Muqata'a government compound in Ramallah yesterday, where the Palestinian leader expressed his satisfaction with the results of his White House meeting with President Obama, two weeks ago. "Washington has changed its attitude toward the Palestinians completely," Abbas told Beilin.

During their conversation, Abbas said the PA intends to meet the U.S. demand to cease incitement against Israel by official Palestinian organs. "There are things that we need to correct in our official media and elsewhere," Abbas said. "I am in favor of dealing with these issues. But at the same time, Israel needs to address similar matters, too."

Abbas talked extensively about the PA's activities against Hamas in the West Bank and noted the recent clashes in Qalqilyah, during which two militants and three PA police officers were killed. "We are doing a great deal to preserve security," Abbas said.

Abbas also emphasized his wish to resume negotiations on a final status agreement as soon as possible.