Reactions to the Hamas-Fatah Unity Deal

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

The Palestinian Authority needs to choose between peace with the people of Israel and peace with Hamas. You cannot have peace with both, because the Hamas aspires to destroy the State of Israel, and I'll say it openly.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas:

Week-In-Review - April 16-22

President Obama continued a new White House tradition, conducting a Seder for the third year in a row with staffers who first held a Seder with then-candidate Obama on the presidential campaign trail. The White House issued a statement during the holiday, and President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke by phone.

Week-In-Review - April 8-15

The week began with the success of the new Iron Dome system in Israel where the two batteries stationed in Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva downed eight incoming rockets from the Gaza Strip last weekend. It is believed that 12-15 batteries would be needed to cover the entirety of Israel, and Israel this week pressed for the accelerated development of more batteries, with the help of $205 million in aid from the United States as part of the budget passed by President Obama this week. By Monday, a tacit agreement was believed to be reached to calm the mounting tensions along the Israel-Gaza border between Hamas and the IDF. Subsequently, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told reporters he opposed any tacit cease-fire stating “Defining the goal as ‘quiet’ is a big mistake…Quiet means a war of attrition. We must not agree to this.”

Obama is Clearly on Israel's 'Side'

Jackson Diehl’s March 28 op-ed column, “Man in the middle,” was perplexing given President Obama’s record of support for Israel, particularly in the midst of the upheaval that has engulfed Israel’s neighborhood. 

Responding to Violence with a New U.S. Strategy

This week has seen renewed bloodshed with a horrific terrorist bombing at a bus station in Jerusalem, a flurry of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel, and Israeli counter strikes in Gaza. Tit-for-tat violence in the region is back—even if it never was really gone. The violence indicates that while revolutionary protests are calling for change across the broader Middle East, the status quo in Israel-Palestine appears as entrenched as ever. 

Morocco as a Potential Model

by David Avital and David Halperin - March 18, 2011

Seizing this moment requires the United States to work with Morocco on a blueprint for systematic political and economic reforms that proactively respond to the region’s spreading unrest. A U.S. effort to help Morocco achieve a balance between these reforms and reverence for its own history and religious tradition would be a crucial symbol for the developing Middle East — and its growing ties with the West.

Syria's Historic Opportunity

by Jim Walker - March 18, 2011

As it turns out, Ambassador Robert Ford’s timing couldn’t be better. The diplomat, whose nomination to become the U.S. ambassador to Syria was stalled by opposing legislators for several months until President Obama sent him to Damascus in a recess appointment, settled into his new position just in time to witness the unprecedented wave of unrest sweeping the Middle East.

Misreading the White House on the Mideast

There are few things on which Israelis and Palestinians can find common ground these days, but both sides readily agree on the common refrain, "The United States does not understand the Middle East." However, increasingly it appears to be the reverse: Israel and the Palestinians do not seem to understand Washington.

Israel Policy Forum Announces its Next Chapter with Middle East Progress

Dear Friends and Supporters of Israel Policy Forum:

On behalf of Israel Policy Forum (IPF), including our President Peter Joseph and Chair Larry Zicklin, I am pleased to inform you that IPF is embarking on its next chapter. 

US-Iran Negotiations: Simulation Exercise at INSS

Ephraim Asculai, Emily B. Landau, and Tamar Malz-Ginzburg

INSS Insight No. 154, December 29, 2009

Despite the tendency to denote any simulation exercise on security issues a "war game," the recent simulation designed and held at INSS did not focus on the option of a military attack. Rather, it developed the scenario of a bilateral US-Iranian negotiation over Iran's nuclear program.

Israel and the Europeans: On a Course to Conflict Over Jerusalem

By Orly Noy, Ir Amim's Spokesperson

A month after Prime Minister Netanyahu announced a limited "freeze" on construction in Israeli-controlled Palestinian territory, it appears that his action will not end international pressure on Israel. True, the United States welcomed the announcement and attempted to solicit positive responses from other members of the Quartet. But outside the United States, Netanyahu's belated response--described by many commentators within Israel as half-hearted--has not had the same effect. Indeed, Israel appears to be on a collision course with several European states and the newly-enhanced European Union.

Who are the settlers and what do they want?

On Wednesday, December 16th Professor Steven L. Spiegel moderated a discussion with Dr. Shlomo Fischer, the founding director of Yesodot- The Center for Torah and Democracy and a professor at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The following is a summary of his remarks. A full recording of the conversation can be found here. 

How did we get into the crisis with the settlements that we find today?

Iran, China, and the Israeli Stick

INSS Insight No. 150, December 22, 2009

When President Obama met with the president of China in Beijing last month, he cautioned that he would not be able to block an Israeli attack against Iran much longer unless there is progress in the attempts to stop Iran’s nuclear program. This warning was intended to persuade China of the urgent need for additional sanctions against Iran. Yet even if the potential success of this warning is questionable, it raises questions about Chinese interests in Iran and the Middle East as a whole, about Israel's place vis-à-vis these interests, and about Jerusalem’s possible influence over Beijing.

A Palestinian View: A crucial but problematic triangle

For good but different reasons, their respective relations with the United States are of central and utmost importance to both Palestinians and Israelis.

As the US is the world's leading power, it is the most influential potential mediator between them. Israel is completely dependent for its overwhelming superiority on the near unquestioned military, economic and diplomatic support it receives from the US. The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, is dependent on international support and international diplomacy, both shaped by the US.

An Israeli View: Criminal neglect

There can be little doubt that Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu won the first round of Israeli-Palestinian engagement with the Obama administration--and that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas lost. Netanyahu executed a partial and problematic settlement construction freeze "balanced" by settlement provocations in Jerusalem and elsewhere. He was rewarded with US support for his readiness to open negotiations while his right-wing coalition stood behind him. Abbas misread American promises and assurances regarding the freeze and the Goldstone report.

A Larger Context for the Prisoner Exchange

The current debate among Israelis about a prisoner exchange with Hamas has been consumed by a narrow discussion of short-term gains and losses for both sides, evading the bigger picture of a future reconciliation between the two parties. It is time for both Israel and Hamas to recognize that there is no escape from one another. The deal that would presumably trade Gilad Shalit, Israel's soldier who was captured in 2006 by Hamas, for approximately 1,000 Palestinian prisoners should be utilized as a precursor for future negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Abbas’ Proposal for an Undeclared Settlement Freeze: Transparent Ploy or Plea for Help?

INSS Insight No. 151, December 20, 2009

In an interview with Haaretz on December 15, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas repeated his longstanding position that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations can only resume after Israel implements a complete freeze on settlement construction throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. But in a new wrinkle that might have been intended as a sign of flexibility, he added that negotiations could begin immediately, even if the freeze is not publicly declared.

Syria seeks US mediation in peace negotiations

After meeting with Syrian officials in Damascus, a European official relayed a message that Syria is ready to renew negotiations through a secret channel, leading to public negotiations with the United States as a mediator. According to the official, Syria wants to renew talks under the precondition that Israel will return the Golan Heights and retreat to the 1967 borders, and in return Syria will fully normalize relations with Israel. This falls short of former Israeli demands that Syria sever its ties to Iran.

Shimon Shiffer in Yedioth Ahronoth reports:

Following Orders, But From Who?

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s removal last week of the West Bank Yeshiva Har Bracha from the Hesder Yeshiva Movement because of the statements and actions by its dean was meant to send a clear message: insubordination within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will not be tolerated. It is not clear whether Barak’s move will ultimately serve to stamp out – or fan – the recent flames of discord emanating from some religious soldiers and elements within the broader national-religious camp.

Olmert peace plan made public

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proposed swapping land with the Palestinians for major settlement blocs in the West Bank as part of his peace plan, as detailed in a map released to Haaretz. Olmert's plan, which was presented to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in September 2008, would have involved the transfer of 327 square kilometers of land within the Green Line to the Palestinians, while annexing 6.3 per cent of the West Bank to Israel.