WASHINGTON – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's envoys to US talks on the freezing of construction in settlements, Attorney Yitzhak Molcho and Brig. Gen. Mike Herzog, met US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, on Wednesday.
The US State Department reported that it was a "good meeting," and that Mitchell will visit the region in the second half of next week.
At the end of the meeting, which started at midnight at the headquarters of the US delegation to the UN in New York, both sides declined publishing details about the session. State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly said that the meeting was a follow-up from Mitchell's meeting with Netanyahu in London last week.
Kelly also said that Netanyahu reconfirmed Israel's commitment to a peace that includes steps that both sides need to undertake in order to advance towards this objective.
Ahead of the meeting the US pressed Netanyahu to agree to the freeze, and officials stressed his decision on the matter over the next two weeks would be crucial.
The two envoys, Yitzhak Molcho and Mike Herzog, met Tuesday with White House officials Dennis Ross and Dan Shapiro in an effort to bridge technical gaps on the construction freeze.
Following the meeting US officials stressed this was Netanyahu's "moment of truth", and that his decision would greatly influence ties with its strongest ally.
One US official told Politico that "Netanyahu’s at a pivotal moment. Depending on what he decides, he could wind up with a very strong relationship with President Obama and potentially become a historic figure in Israel".
“It could very well hinge on what he decides in the next couple of weeks,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The technical issues to be broached at the meeting include the timetable for the construction freeze as well as the question of whether it will be dropped if no settlement is reached with the Palestinians. The envoys will also discuss the number of housing units Israel will still be permitted to build in the West Bank.
The meeting could also pave the way for trilateral talks between US President Barack Obama, Netanyahu, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which may take place just after the UN Security Council meeting in New York in three weeks.
George Mitchell is scheduled to visit Israel for another round of talks on negotiations with the Palestinians. He is scheduled to meet with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and possibly Netanyahu.
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