After decades of failed negotiations, many argue that little that can be achieved in pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking right now. Yet parking the conflict or returning to the pre-Trump status quo ante could have serious implications not only for Israelis and Palestinians but also for the region and the United States. How can the U.S. administration do more by doing less and help reverse negative trends that are cementing occupation and inequality, while avoiding previous failed policies that have empowered anti-democratic forces in both Israel and Palestine?
The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.
Authors Zaha Hassan, Daniel Levy, Hallaamal Keir, and Marwan Muasher argue that instead of working to sustain a moribund peace process, it’s time for a new approach—one that supports a rules-based international order, centers rights, and reimagines available policy tools to advance a durable solution that enhances peace and human security.
Starting with secret talks in the 1980s, this timeline provides a snapshot of major events, milestones, and legislation that have influenced relations between the United States and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Shifting the paradigm, conditioning security assistance and Gaza policy.
Shifting the paradigm, conditioning security assistance and Gaza policy.
Since 2014, U.S. and Israeli policymakers have been calling on the Palestinian leadership to end welfare payments to prisoners in Israeli jails and to the families of prisoners and those killed by Israelis during political violence. However, Palestinians and supporters view them as a necessary social safety net in the face of brutal and oppressive living conditions under Israeli military occupation.
In separate commentaries, scholars Jake Walles, Aaron David Miller, and Scott Lasensky offer additional perspectives on these issues.
In separate commentaries, scholars Jake Walles, Aaron David Miller, and Scott Lasensky offer additional perspectives on these issues.
What will bring stability and security for both Israelis and Palestinians, reduce the likelihood of recurring violence, and open the possibility for a future in which the people of the region can live together as neighbors in equal dignity—that is, what ought to be meant by the “day after”—requires a plan for realizing Palestinian self-determination.
U.S. President Joe Biden says he wants “equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and democracy” for Gaza. What steps can he take to achieve that in practice?
Absent a change in the U.S. approach, renewed conflict is inevitable, and with each iteration the terms of engagement will deteriorate further and the United States will be left carrying an ever-heavier Middle Eastern burden as it seeks to focus its energy elsewhere.
Ensuring that Israel, the largest recipient of U.S. security assistance, complies with federal laws and international human rights standards will require closely tracking and monitoring its weapons use.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become deeply ingrained in daily life. Work must begin now to heal deep-seated divisions, which are not likely to be resolved in a burst of diplomacy.
Centering rights and human security will not only help create the conditions needed to achieve a durable political solution but also promote U.S. interests abroad.
A new U.S. approach should prioritize protecting the rights and human security of Palestinians and Israelis over maintaining a peace process and attempting short-term fixes.
Elections may breathe some life into Palestinian governance, despite the fact there are those who oppose them.
Holding elections wouldn't solve all the problems Palestinians face, but they could lead to a semblance of unity, or at least modest signs of renewal and better coordination
The Israeli and Palestinian communities are growing ever closer physically while remaining separated politically. Any solution must adequately address the needs of both sides.
