Envoy George Mitchell presented ideas on how to move forward, said Saeb Erekat, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He would not elaborate.
Resuming direct Israeli-Palestinian talks anytime soon seems unlikely because of Washington’s failure to persuade Israel to extend a curb on settlement building. Abbas has said he won’t negotiate face-to-face as long as expanding Israeli settlements deepen control over West Bank lands the Palestinians want for their state.
Instead, the US now plans to discuss the so-called core issues of the conflict, including the borders of a Palestinian state and security arrangements, separately with the two sides.
“As we expected, there had been many difficulties, obstacles and setbacks along the way,” Mitchell told reporters after meeting with Abbas for nearly three hours at the Palestinian leader’s West Bank headquarters. “We accept it, but we are determined to persevere in our efforts until we reach the successful conclusion that I think all want.” This, he said, should include a viable, independent Palestinian state and secure, defensible borders for Israel.
Later, Mitchell toured the West Bank’s largest city, Hebron, meeting with Palestinian business people, visiting a local dairy and inspecting a cargo crossing between the West Bank and Israel.
Mitchell noted that West Bank companies face challenges distributing their goods, an apparent reference to Israeli restrictions on trade and movement in the West Bank, despite a recent easing.
On Monday, Mitchell had a lengthy meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
With the new US emphasis on discussing core issues, Netanyahu is expected to come under growing pressure from Washington to reveal his positions, especially on borders.
Until now, the Israeli leader has declined, saying he would only do so in direct talks.
The Palestinians have said they have presented detailed positions in the past. In a document presented to the Americans earlier this year, the Palestinians said they want a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War, but that they are willing to swap 1.9 percent of the land to enable Israel to keep some of the settlements.
Netanyahu’s more moderate predecessor made a somewhat similar offer to the Palestinians in late 2008, asking to swap 6.5 percent of West Bank land for Israeli territory, but there was no agreement on it.
