George Mitchell retires of U.S.-inflicted wounds

Former Sen. George Mitchell is retiring as the U.S. special envoy for Middle East issues. Anybody who's read my blogging on the al-Jazeera leaks knows why, too — Team Obama kowtowed to hardliners of ALL major Israeli parties to undercut legitimate peace chances.

Here's the truth:

“What needs to change is Israeli behavior,” said Nabil Shaath, who heads the foreign affairs department of Fatah, the main party of the Palestinian Authority, in seeking to explain the stalled peace endeavor. “The man was not given any support and he failed,” he added of Mr. Mitchell, speaking by telephone. “I don’t really blame him. He found himself without any initiative or ability to move ahead. He found himself doing a futile job. I liked the man. He is honest and hard-working, with lots of experience.”

And here's the lies from Benjamin Netanyahu's staff:

Zalman Shoval, a special envoy of Mr. Netanyahu, who focuses on relations with the United States, said Mr. Mitchell “made a major effort to try to move peace between Israel and the Palestinians forward but, at the end of the day, his efforts were undermined by the Palestinians’ refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations. But he deserves the gratitude of Israel and the Palestinians for his efforts.”

With the presidential election growing larger, Obama will appoint a new envoy but won't change old administration behavior.