United States Middle East envoy George Mitchell left Israel Sunday night after his meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak for a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that was originally scheduled for Tuesday. An American embassy spokesman said that the Sunday night meeting was requested by President Mubarak. The Egyptian foreign ministry says that the former senator will meet with Mubarak and other senior Egyptian officials before returning to Israel on Monday.
Following his meeting with Barak, Mitchell described America's disagreement with Israel over Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria as a difference of opinion between friends and not an argument. He also repeated the U.S.'s committment to Israel's defense and said the two discussed a number of topics regarding Israel's relations with all its regional neighbors.
Barak welcomed Mitchell by saying Israel would do everything asked while protecting its essential interests.