White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that U.S. President Barack Obama called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday morning to discuss peace negotiations. During the call, the two leaders discussed how to begin "transitioning to direct negotiations" between Israelis and Palestinians "as soon as possible," Gibbs said. They also "discussed how best to work together to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East," including the use of "substantive proximity talks" between the Israelis and the Palestinians, Gibbs said. The press secretary also said that during the 20-minute call, Obama reiterated his "unshakeable commitment to Israel's security." The call came on the same day that Netanyahu held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at Sharm el-Sheikh. Netanyahu visited Egypt on Monday two days after the Arab League voiced its support for the so-called "proximity talks" with the Palestinians. The indirect talks-the result of several months of U.S. diplomacy-were set to start in March but were derailed after Israel announced it would build 1,600 new settlement homes. The Arab League on Saturday backed the talks after the Palestinians received U.S. assurances that the construction would be stopped, an official of the 22-member pan-Arab organization said. The call also came as Obama's Middle East envoy George Mitchell returned to the region in anticipation of the first Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in more than a year.
