Defense Minister Ehud Barak met Thursday in New York with Middle East envoy George Mitchell of the United States, Envoy Tony Blair of the Quartet of Middle East peace brokers and American legal expert, Professor Alan Dershowitz.
Barak and Mitchell discussed the differences in the American and Israeli positions on a proposed construction freeze on Jews in Judea and Samaria.
Barak and Blair discussed the diplomatic process and ways to advance the Palestinian Authority economy, including the opening of the Jalma crossing, which will allow up to 600 trucks to travel daily between Jenin and the Gilboa Council region.
Barak talked to Dershowitz about legal issues stemming from the United Nations Human Rights Council report on alleged Israeli abuses in Operation Cast Lead in Gaza this past winter. Those issues included ways to quash the report, legal defenses for officers, and how to overcome hurdles that the report puts in fighting terror.