Israeli PM postpones meeting with U.S. envoy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has postponed his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy to bid farewell to a fighter pilot killed Sunday in a warplane crash, Netanyahu's office said on Monday.

"Due to PM Netanyahu's desire to attend Assaf Ramon's funeral, his meeting with U.S. envoy (George) Mitchell has been postponed until Tuesday morning," a day after it was originally scheduled, his office said in statement.

The 21-year-old pilot was killed when his F-16A jet crashed in the West Bank on Sunday during a routine training flight. He was the eldest son of Israel's only astronaut so far, Ilan Ramon, who died with six other crew members when their Columbia space shuttle disintegrated during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003.

The visiting U.S. emissary, who arrived on Saturday night in the latest bid to help revive the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, met with President Shimon Peres on Sunday. While admitting that gaps remain on how to resume the process, the two men expressed hope to kick start the process in September.

Efforts have intensified recently as the Obama administration has shown apparent interest in convening a tripartite summit with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly later this month, when they are expected to officially declare the resumption of peace talks.

Yet the Israeli government has so far resisted a U.S. demand for a total freeze of settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the Palestinian side has stressed that they will not return to the negotiating table until Israel halts settlement activities.

Netanyahu, who met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Sunday for talks over the Middle East peace process, has said Israel is nearing a deal with the United States over the settlement issue, giving rise to speculation that the two sides would likely reach an agreement during Mitchell's visit.