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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

03/16/10
Maintaining the Unbreakable Bond  —Robert Wexler, former Congressman; president, S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. Interview with Middle East Progress.
03/11/10
First Reactions  —
03/09/10
Understanding Ankara  —Morton Abramowitz, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey (1989-91); senior fellow, Century Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

U.S. and Israel Have Shared Interests

“I think it's a big deal. This is a fight that the White House has picked. … I think it surprised Netanyahu. Netanyahu apologized to Vice President Biden … And he expressed regret. … And they thought the thing had been put to bed … And then for some reason … the White House at the highest levels—the president decided let's make a big fuss about this … I do not know, honestly, why the president chose to pick a big public fight just when it was all dying down with Israel.”
—William Kristol, editor, Weekly Standard, Fox News Sunday, March 14, 2010versus
  • “[T]he president, the vice president, secretary of State did exactly the right thing for American interests and for Israel ... [F]irst of all, they were speaking for many secretaries of State, many presidents in the past who have had Israeli settlements shoved in their face before, during, and after a visit by Israel. ... So there's a lot of backstory here, this isn't just about that trip.“Then let's look at the moment we're in. We have an Israeli prime minister from the right who actually could deliver the right. He's done actually a lot of good things on the ground in the West Bank. You have to give him credit for that. We have the best Palestinian leadership we've had in a long time. And we have a Sunni Arab world obsessed with Iran, ready to work with Israel more than ever. You'd think in that context Israel could say to the United States, you know, ‘You're doing all this for us, we're just going to stop settlements in Jerusalem, in the West Bank, not temporarily, not moratorium. We're going to give you a chance to actually test the other side whether they're for real. ... Barack Obama, this Bud's for you. We're going to do this for the American people.’ Is that anti-Semitism, is that anti-Israelism, to ask that of an Israeli government, to ask, act first in its own interest and then in America's interest? I don't think so.”
    —Tom Friedman, columnist, The New York Times, Meet the Press, March 14, 2010

    • Middle East Analysis

    Upcoming Events

    The Road Forward on Middle East Peace

    Event: October 1, 2009 - 12:00pm-1:00pm

    Introduction:
    Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Vice President for External Affairs, Center for American Progress

    Featured speaker:
    Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)

    Moderated by:
    Moran Banai, U.S. Editor of Middle East Bulletin

    WATCH HERE

    The State of U.S.-Israel Relations

    President Peres and VP Biden in Jerusalem (AP)

    Maintaining the Unbreakable Bond

    Robert Wexler, former Congressman; president, S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. Interview with Middle East Progress.

    What do you think were the goals of Vice President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel?

    The vice president’s, and also the president’s, goals were actually quite straightforward in that the vice president was going to Israel to reaffirm the special relationship, the unbreakable bond, between the United States and Israel. The vice president was the ideal communicator of that message because for him that sentiment has been a three-decade-plus heartfelt position that he has advocated throughout his entire public career. So it was convincing, authentic and heartfelt, and he was the correct messenger.

    Read more >>

    Background Basics

    Statements by the Obama Administration

    “Israel is one of our strongest allies. … It is a vibrant democracy. It shares links with us in all sorts of ways. It is critical for us and I will never waver from ensuring Israel’s security and helping them secure themselves in what is a very hostile region.”
    —President Barack Obama, Town Hall Meeting in Tampa, Florida, January 28, 2010

    “Israel’s unique relationship with the United States means that you need not bear that heavy burden alone. Our

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    Obama Administration Efforts Towards Arab-Israeli Peace

    Initial Steps
    On his first day in office, January 21, President Obama spoke to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, promising them “active engagement” towards Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his presidency. He also pledged to help consolidate the Israel-Hamas ceasefire following the fighting in Gaza. The next day the Obama administration appointed former U.S. Senator George Mitchell as special envoy

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    Understanding the Settlement Moratorium

    On November 25, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to halt settlement construction in the West Bank for ten months. The freeze applies to new home construction, but not building currently in progress or building in East Jerusalem. The moratorium allows for construction of a finite number of public buildings, such as synagogues and schools; only 28 such public building projects will be allowed by Israel during the moratorium.

    Following Netanyahu’s announcement, U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace

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    A Guide to the Final Status Issues

    Four core issues are central to an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement: borders, Jerusalem, refugees and security. Israelis and Palestinians started discussing these issues officially in late 1999 and throughout 2000, including at the Camp David summit in July 2000. Negotiations over these issues were renewed at the Annapolis summit in November 2007. Although progress was made at that time, and further progress has been made since, these questions remain at the heart of resolving the conflict.

    Borders

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