Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Tel Aviv Monday morning for two days of policy discussions with Israeli leadership. The talks will focus on Israel’s evolving relationship with Egypt, the threat posed by Iran, and the stalled peace negotiations with Palestine.Secretary Clinton arrived in Tel Aviv just hours after concluding her schedules trip to Egypt. While in Cairo the Secretary of State met with newly-elected President Mohammed Morsi and with the head of Egypt’s military council, Field Marshall Husein Tantawi, according to Al Jazeera.
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The Secretary’s diplomatic meetings in Cairo were intended to ascertain the goals and aspirations of both the new president and of the incumbent military leadership. Secretary Clinton left Cairo secure in the knowledge that President Morsi is committed to maintaining peaceful relations with Israel, reports Ma’an News Agency. Sources close to the U.S. diplomatic mission revealed that discussions with Morsi focused on invigorating Egypt’s weak economy.
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Secretary Clinton is expected to bring this news of Israeli-Egyptian stability to her meetings in Tel Aviv this week. Many members of the Israeli government are concerned that President Morsi’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood could fragment Arab-Israeli peace.
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Ma’an News also reports that Israel’s continued anxiety about Iran’s alleged nuclear program will also be a topic of discussion. The United States has condemned Iran for pursuing a nuclear weapons program and President Obama has stated time and again that the American commitment to Israeli security is ‘rock solid’. Washington has also cautioned the Netanyahu government about resorting to military action. The White House has explicitly offered protection for Israel, but has also shown little interest in striking Iran and potentially involving itself in another land war in Central Asia.
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Unfortunately for those currently living under Isreali occupation, the stalled peace process is the least of Secretary Clinton’s concerns, according to various reports. After concluding her meetings in Tel Aviv the Secretary will move on to Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minster Salem Fayyad.
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On July 10th the White House threatened the PLO with pulling all foreign aid if it continued to pursue state-level membership in constituent agencies of the United Nations, reports the Palestine News Network. This threat came just days after Secretary Clinton met with President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris on July 6th.
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The Obama administration had acted as a mediator for peace until talks stalled in 2010 after Prime Minister Netanyahu refused to halt settlement construction in the West Bank. The State Department has maintained close contact with Palestinian authorities during this interim, but little progress has been made. President Obama and Secretary Clinton have continued to called for an end to settlement construction, but they have offered no roadmap for peace and zero public opinion regarding ending and withdrawing the occupation.
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