(Haaretz).In an attempt to bridge the divide between Jerusalem and Washington over the issue of West Bank settlement construction, Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell in London for over three hours on Monday.
Most of the meeting took place in private, though Mitchell and Barak were later joined by the defense minister's team of consultants as well as by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aide, Yitzhak Molko.
"I think there is progress. There's still a way to go," Barak told reporters after the talks in London.
A senior U.S. official has told Reuters that Washington is asking Arab governments whether they might ease sanctions on Israel if it freezes settlement on land Palestinians want for a state.
However, Barak, who last met Mitchell on Tuesday in New York, said he was optimistic about the chances of "preparing the ground for launching a major peace process."
"I think the Americans are active on this issue," Barak said when asked to confirm this.
"While they are demanding from Israel steps and concessions in order to enable this regional peace effort to take off, they are approaching the Arabs as well and asking what they can contribute in terms of ... starting normalization with Israel."
"We are looking and trying to find a formula (which) needs to show our readiness to be sensitive to the needs of others."
Barak described the talks with Mitchell as "a very good, constructive discussion" and said they had addressed all aspects of the Middle East peace process including the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese tracks.
