Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu met Thursday with US President Barack Obama's special Middle East envoy George Mitchell. Following the meeting Netanyahu said that it was held "in a very friendly and practical atmosphere."
Sources close to the Likud leader said that Netanyahu was under the impression that Mitchell does not intend to pressure Israel on the issue of illegal outposts. According to the sources, at this point the US did not present any demands to Israel and mainly sought to learn more of Israel's stance on the relevant issues.
In 2001, Mitchell published a report on the Israeli settlement project in the West Bank and stressed the need to halt further construction in the area.
"The subject of the settlements was not brought up," Netanyahu's associates said. "The issues that the government will need to tackle after its establishment are extremely complex and problematic, including the Iranian problem, which concerns both Israel and the US."
