Middle East envoy George Mitchell is resigning after two years on the job, having toiled largely unsuccessfully to revive the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process. President Obama said Mitchell had always intended to serve for two years. He named the former senator’s deputy, David Hale, as Mitchell’s replacement. The resignation comes at a critical time for the region, which has experienced continued uprisings, the death of Osama bin Laden, and the unification of Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas. It also comes ahead of President Obama's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a planned policy speech on the Middle East next Thursday.
