What Barak and Mitchell talked about

Capital J

By Eric Fingerhut · July 6, 2009

Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak and U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell met in London Monday and they've put out a statement detailing the topics discussed. Settlements was on the agenda, but so was "steps by Arab states toward normalization with Israel":

Defense Minister Barak and Special Envoy Mitchell met today in London, following up their June 30 discussion in New York. They covered all aspects of Middle East peace and security. They re-affirmed their commitment to the common objective of a regional peace between Israel and the Palestinians, Syria, and Lebanon and the steps necessary to achieve it. These included measures on security and incitement by the Palestinians; steps by Arab states toward normalization with Israel; and, from Israel, actions on access and movement in the West Bank and on settlement activity. These constructive discussions will continue with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Barak, and other Israeli officials in the near future.