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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Mitchell expected in Mideast next week |
| 2009-01-25 |
| President Barack Obama plans to dispatch his new Middle East envoy to Palestine next week to meet acting PA chief Mahmoud Abbas. The new US envoy to the Middle East, former senator George Mitchell, will meet with acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday in Ramallah, a senior Palestinian official said Saturday. "Mitchell and Abbas will discuss how to re-launch the Israeli-Palestinian peace process," said the source. Washington Post reported that Western, Arab and Israeli diplomats said he also plans to meet leaders in Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, but direct contacts with Hamas have been ruled out. A Western diplomat said Mitchell was likely to go to Saudi Arabia but Syria was not now on his schedule. US officials in the region declined to confirm Mitchell's visit. When appointing Mitchell on Thursday, President Barack Obama said he would be sending Mitchell 'to the region as soon as possible'. The 75-year-old Mitchell helped negotiate the 1998 Good Friday agreement that helped bring peace to Northern Ireland. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #14 A very many did on Nov 4, Snowy. |
| Posted by: lotp 2009-01-25 19:53 |
| #13 Jaique, I don't know how to tell you this, but someone doesn't have to be a "Mooselimb" in order to be very very bad. A _very_ _Large_ _Number_ of American Jews would vote for Obama again tomorrow if there were a snap election like they have in other countries, knowing full well of this appointment and Mitchell's record. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-01-25 17:56 |
| #12 Thanks Jaique, but it was still inappropriate. Still wrestling with anger over Nov 4th. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-01-25 15:59 |
| #11 Between Messrs. Mitchell and Holbrooke, I would say your President has already gotten a good start on his economic stimulus, starting with a make-work programmme for former diplomatic envoys. |
| Posted by: Milton Fandango 2009-01-25 13:46 |
| #10 NS, Thing, please revisit your homework - Besoeker is entirely correct. Mitchell is no friend of Israel and if he isn't a dissimulating Muslim he almost certainly wishes he was. Happily he was never granted more power under Clinton. http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2009/01/remembering-george-mitchell.html http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/Mitchellrep.html http://jewagainstobama.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/meet-obamas-middle-east-envoy/ |
| Posted by: Jaique Johnson2117 2009-01-25 13:44 |
| #9 Based on his work in the Baseball Steroids Investigation, Mitchell is a complete empty shirt. Maybe that's why Blair liked him so much. |
| Posted by: mhw 2009-01-25 12:51 |
| #8 Blair meets Fayad in Ramallah, applauds Obama's appointment of Mitchell |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-01-25 11:44 |
| #7 Indeed, NS. Lots of Christian Lebanese in the US, some for generations Yes. The 1st gal that stomped my heart was a 2nd generation Lebaneese-Cuban. Frankly (can I say that?) I haven't been the same since. Now the 2nd gal was German-American and I shoulda seen that $hit storm coming... but alas and alack.. :( hey... wait a 2nd... wat blog is dis? |
| Posted by: .5MT 2009-01-25 11:23 |
| #6 MODS: NS and lotp are correct. My comments were entirely inappropriate. Please delete #2 and accept my apology. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-01-25 11:14 |
| #5 I thought "George" was a stereotypical Christian lebanese name. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-01-25 10:15 |
| #4 Indeed, NS. Lots of Christian Lebanese in the US, some for generations. A favorite of mine when I was a kid was Danny Thomas, born Amos Alphonsus Muzyad Yaqoob in Lebanon. Dates me, I know. LOL In addition to being a successful actor, he founded the St. Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis where a whole lot of kids got treated for cancer for free. He was named a Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre by Pope Paul VI and Reagan awarded him a Congressional Gold Medal honouring him for his work with St Jude's Hospital. Despite being a very devout Roman Catholic Thomas was also a high degree Mason/Shriner IIRC and was a leading force in Shriner philanthopy, especially WRT medical treatment for kids. Interesting guy. |
| Posted by: lotp 2009-01-25 09:37 |
| #3 I'd bet a lot more of the Lebanese in this country are Christians than Muslims. Do you have specific knowledge that his mother was a practicing Muslim who brought little Georgie up to pray 5 times a day? Otherwise, he has always seemed like a fully assimilated American to me, even if he does hold wacky donk ideas like 2/5's of the country including plenty of those descended from passengers on the Mayflower. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2009-01-25 08:56 |
| #2 The son of an Irish father and a Lebanese mother, Mitchell, 75, .... Along with New England birth, baseball expertise, and carefully selected Mooslim breeding are essential. Don't forget to overhaul his oxygen concentrator and lose the cigars please. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-01-25 08:50 |
| #1 Hope and Change. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-01-25 08:21 |