US officials said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to announce on Tuesday that David Hale, the special envoy for Middle East peace, and Dennis Ross, the top Mideast adviser at the National Security Council, will make the trip as the administration seeks to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to stalled peace talks. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of Clinton’s announcement.
Hale and Ross were last in the region just over a week ago but failed to convince Palestinian officials to abandon their quest for UN recognition. Israel is vehemently opposed to such a move and the United States has threatened to veto it in the UN Security Council. However, the Palestinians have suggested that instead of going to the Security Council, they may seek a vote on a recognition resolution at the UN General Assembly, where the US cannot veto it and it is likely to pass.
Israel and the United States insist that the United Nations is not the forum to create a state and that a future Palestine must come as the result of direct negotiations.
