U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk hands a copy of the Mitchell report to Israeli Cabinet Minister Danny Naveh on Friday. (AP)

	Key elements of the report
	Mitchell's choice Jerusalem Post
	Waiting for Mitchell Ali Abunimah, Media Monitors Network
	Mideast violence report goes to commission NPR
	Commission handed different versions of Intifada beginnings
	Security council weighs peacekeepers for territories

In its report, copies of which were leaked to the media, the Mitchell Commission harshly criticized Israel's settlement policy, calling on Israel to "freeze all settlement activity, including the 'natural growth' of settlements." The Commission also rejected a key Palestinian demand and did not recommend sending an international peacekeeping force to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Commission suggested a three-stage solution to the

"It is a balanced report. There is plenty for both sides to be upset with" - unidentified U.S. official quoted in the New York Times

current conflict: an immediate cease-fire, a cooling-off period with confidence-building measures and the resumption of diplomatic negotiations. No exact timetable was suggested in the report, although media analysts assume the recommendations call for the gradual implementation of these steps.

Minister Without Portfolio Danny Naveh (Likud), who has served as liaison to the Mitchell Commission, said yesterday, "The Palestinians did not get from the committee what they wanted, which is an internationalization of the conflict." Naveh noted "a few aspects of the report that are important, and a few where we beg to differ."

Naveh began consultations with officials from the Prime Minister's office and the Foreign and Defense ministries in order to formulate Israel's official response to the report.

Arafat calls for international summit
Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo told reporters the Palestinian leadership "will seriously examine the commission's assessments and recommendations with a great degree of care and with an open mind.''

Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat yesterday called for an international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss the findings of the Mitchell Commission. Arafat made the suggestion after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Naveh rejected Arafat's proposal, saying on Channel 1 television, "The time has arrived for Arafat to understand that he will not advance Palestinian interests by these means... The way for him to progress is with a cease-fire, and after that a return to direct negotiations with us."

Opposition leader Yossi Sarid (Meretz) told United Press International that although he has not seen the draft report, from what he heard he believed it was "balanced." Sarid said Israel must stop the settlement activity. "I have been agreeing that for 30 years. It is necessary because if that does not happen, nothing will happen," Sarid said.

An unidentified U.S. official quoted in the New York Times said, "It is a balanced report. There is plenty for both sides to be upset with."

The Mitchell Commission report, 32 pages in length, was presented to the Israeli and Palestinian officials on Friday afternoon. Both sides are to send their responses to the report by May 15 to U.S. President George W. Bush, who will then decide on the time and manner in which the report will be published.

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