Clinton arrives in Israel to advance Mideast peace process

Photo obtained from the Israeli Government Press Office by Xinhua shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) meeting with U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Jerusalem, October 31, 2009. Hillary Clinton urged on Saturday evening Israel and Palestine to revive immediately stalled peace talks. (Xinhua Photo)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Israel on Saturday evening to push forward the Middle East peace process, local news service Ynet reported.

Clinton will meet several Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

The visit was her first official trip to Israel since the Netanyahu government took office in late March.

During the visit, Clinton is expected to push for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which have been suspended since the Israeli army's Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip last winter.

In Friday's meeting in Jerusalem with U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, Netanyahu said "I look forward to our discussions, and the discussions with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to try to re-launch the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians as soon as possible."

For his part, Mitchell said "I look forward to our discussions to achieve our common objective of a comprehensive peace in the region."

Earlier Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said his meeting in Abu Dhabi with Clinton failed to bridge gaps between the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Israel to re-launch the long-stalled peace talks.

"We came up with nothing new," Abbas said in a statement after the meeting in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which Mitchell also attended. 　

Source: Xinhua