debkafile's Washington sources report that instead of a freeze on all Israeli construction in East Jerusalem, the Obama administration asks Israel to quietly suspend all building licenses and other permits for just four weeks, to give US Middle East envoy George Mitchell a chance to persuade the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to accept US-moderated proximity talks.
Israel did indeed make Abbas an offer of temporary borders, but he turned it down and demanded that the US President "impose" a solution.

The "sprained ankle" Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas suffered from slipping over at home was very much diplomatically motivated, debkafile's Middle East sources report. It was his pretext to stay out of the way of the US president's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, when he arrived in the region March 20 fired up to restart Palestinian-Israeli proximity peace talks before he is ready. Abbas may also duck the Arab summit opening this week.

debkafile's Middle East sources reveal that the US Middle East envoy George Mitchell presented his mission to Israeli and Palestinian leaders Monday, March 8, as getting direct talks between them started without delay and moved to Washington. Their lead negotiators have been appointed. They are the Israeli prime minister's adviser Yitzhak Molcho and the senior Palestinian negotiator Saab Erekat.

By renouncing the principle of direct negotiations for peace, Binyamin Netanyahu has opened the door for the Arab League and other unsympathetic international bodies to crash the process and bulldoze Israel into steps contrary to its interests. George Mitchell and Joe Biden to keep him on track.