The symbolism of the resignation of the US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, could not be more pointed. Although the letter of resignation is dated some five weeks ago, it will become effective on May 20, the day that President Obama is to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House. The failure of Mitchell's tenure in the position could not be more glaring. Mitchell is a respected diplomat and is largely credited with bringing a definitive peace to Northern Ireland, itself a Herculean task. But that conflict did not compare to the gargantuan task presented by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mitchell was appointed to the special envoy position on Obama's second day in office, and he pledged to stay in the job for two years only. His extra time at work did not yield a great outcome. In the face of Israeli intransigence, Mitchell abandoned his quest to end illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and in East Jerusalem, and he has not even visited the region since last December. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton eventually appointed his deputy to take over as acting envoy. Mitchell, of course, is hardly the first to throw up his hands in despair while trying to bring the two sides to the negotiating table, and he is also not the first to see his efforts result in the two sides being even further apart. It is, however, just one more disappointing admission that the highly enthusiastic plans of the Obama Administration to settle the Israeli question have all come to nought. That Mitchell's resignation goes into effect on the very day that Obama will meet with Netanyahu should be read as the clear message that it is: Mitchell and much of the Obama White House put the onus for the stalled efforts at peace in Palestine squarely on Netanyahu. Hopefully, this will not be lost on the visiting Israeli, though history has shown us that he probably does not care much. __
