Ministers spar ahead of Mitchell visit
Cabinet meeting sees senior ministers attempt to harness nearing visit of US Mideast envoy in favor of campaign slogans
The nearing visit of George Mitchell, the new American special envoy to the Middle East was one of the main focal points of Sunday's cabinet meeting, as party heads tried harnessing it in favor of campaign slogans.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel's cooperation with the new US administration would go a long way towards solving the problems in the Middle East.
A Labor-led government, he said, "would strive to find a solution to the region's problems, along with the new US administration. I have known the heads of the US administration for 15 years. We have the same moral interests."
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni responded by warning against a halt in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process; while Shas Chairman Eli Yishai stressed Israel's need to stand firm in view of international pressure.
Delaying the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, warned Livni, "would cause a collision with the US and may result in the suspension of other diplomatic initiatives.
"Israel and the Obama administration have a common denominator, but the cooperation depends on Israel sustaining the two-state solution."
Livni also warned of a possible rift with the US, should the Right prevail in the nearing general elections.
Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Yishai, however, noted that Israel has always faced pressure and is most likely to continue facing pressure: "We have to stand up for our principles. If we'll do that, the other side will respect it. If we start forfeiting our principles, we will be responsible for our own demise.
Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog added that "it is very clear that (Likud Chairman Benjamin) Netanyahu's policies can only lead to a strife with the Obama administration.
"Barak and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have had a good, long standing relationship… He has the ability to form the (peace) process as we would like to see it."
Mitchell's impending visit, said Herzog, as well as Barak's visit to Washington, "are very important. We believe in the need to support the Palestinian Authority, while allowing for a humanitarian aid effort in the Gaza Strip."
