5 quick notes on retribution

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on December 2, 2012

Platitude diplomacy and the future of Palestine

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on November 28, 2012

September 23, 2012

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on September 23, 2012

Putin: Russia already recognizes Palestine

Published on June 28, 2012

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that Moscow already has recognized a Palestinian state.

March 7, 2012

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on March 7, 2012

Protestant leaders call for U.N. endorsement of Palestinian membership

Published on November 1, 2011

Leaders of four American Protestant denominations issued a statement endorsing the Palestinian U.N. bid for statehood.

Congress looks to punish Palestinians, but cuts to security aid pose dilemma

Published on October 4, 2011

If the Palestinians don’t pull back from their statehood push, congressional cuts in aid are inevitable, U.S. lawmakers say. Just how comprehensive such cuts will be, however, could end up depending on Israel’s stance on the issue.

Israel accepts Quartet’s peace process proposal

Published on October 2, 2011

Israel has accepted the Mideast Quartet's proposal to renew peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

Council takes first step on Palestinian U.N. bid

Published on September 28, 2011

The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday took its first step on the Palestinian application to join the United Nations by handing it to a committee that will review and assess it in the coming weeks.

Netanyahu rejects widespread criticism of homes plan

Published on September 28, 2011

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected Western and Arab complaints that the planned construction of 1,100 new homes in Gilo on annexed land close to Jerusalem would complicate Middle East peace efforts.

Opinion: Moral dimension of Palestinian statehood

By Judea Pearl
Published on September 27, 2011

I felt terribly guilty when Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly: “Enough! It is time for the Palestinian people to gain their freedom and independence.” How can we deny to others what we claim for ourselves?

U.S., EU condemn Israeli plan to expand settlement

Published on September 27, 2011

Israel approved on Tuesday the construction of 1,100 settlement homes on annexed land in the West Bank, complicating global efforts to renew peace talks and defuse a crisis over a Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations.

U.N. speech boosts Bibi’s ratings in Israel

Published on September 26, 2011

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's popularity has climbed in Israel after a hard-hitting speech at the United Nations opposing a Palestinian bid for statehood, an opinion poll showed on Monday.

Israel police arrest Hamas lawmaker in East Jerusalem

Published on September 26, 2011

Israeli police arrested a Hamas lawmaker on Monday who had been sheltering for more than a year in the International Red Cross (ICRC) offices in East Jerusalem, a police spokesman said.

Opinion: The dangerous alternate Middle East reality

Published on September 23, 2011

In the lead-up to the Palestinian application for full membership in the United Nations later this week, we can expect nation after nation to vilify the Jewish state and to walk out when Prime Minister Netanyahu takes the microphone.

In U.N. speeches, Abbas, Netanyahu trade charges of ‘ethnic cleansing’

Published on September 23, 2011

Mahmoud Abbas outlined a vision for an independent Palestine that hewed to the two-state formula but also revived rhetoric that hearkened back to an era of Palestinian belligerence.

Netanyahu to U.N.: Palestinians want state without peace [VIDEO]

Published on September 23, 2011

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Palestinians of wanting statehood without peace.

In U.S. speech, Abbas commits to two states, but amps up fiery rhetoric

Published on September 23, 2011

Mahmoud Abbas outlined a vision for an independent Palestine that hewed to the two-state formula but also revived rhetoric that hearkened back to an era of Palestinian belligerence.

In Ramallah, West Bank Palestinians divided between celebratory and cynical

Published on September 23, 2011

A larger-than-life sky-blue chair with the word “Palestine” dominates the center of Manara Square in downtown Ramallah.

Opinion: We know Abbas will fail, but it'll be a Palestinian moral victory

Published on September 23, 2011

A throng of young Palestinians charge the stage with what could easily be seen as malicious intent - if their vigorous stampede hadn't been in sync with a performance of Dabke, the traditional Arabic folk dance that literally translates as "the stamping of the feet."

Bill Clinton: Netanyahu isn’t interested in Mideast peace deal

Published on September 23, 2011

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible for the inability to reach a peace deal that would end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, former U.S. President Bill Clinton said on Thursday.

Abbas asks for Palestinian state [VIDEO]

Published on September 23, 2011

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas applied for statehood recognition.

Iran says Palestinian statehood only “first step” towards wiping out Israel

Published on August 26, 2011

The creation of a universally-recognized Palestinian state would be just a first step towards wiping out Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday.

Palestinians set date for U.N. statehood bid

Published on August 14, 2011

The Palestinian Authority will ask the United Nations to recognize Palestine as an independent state on the first day of the body's new session.

Palestinians announce official decision to ask U.N. for statehood

Published on June 27, 2011

The Palestinian leadership officially decided to go ahead with plans to ask the United Nations for recognition as an independent state.

Syrian protesters remain on border after deadly demonstrations

Published on June 6, 2011

Syrian protesters spent the night on the border with Israel on the Golan Heights following a day in which Syrian reports claim that up to 23 Arabs were killed.

Netanyahu: Israel cannot prevent UN recognition of Palestinian state

Published on May 30, 2011

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that no one can prevent the recognition of a Palestinian state in the United Nations in September.

Reflecting on AIPAC: Applause. Tears. Repeat.

By Rav Yosef Kanefsky
Published on May 25, 2011

Obama says U.N.-declared Palestinian state a ‘mistake’

Published on May 25, 2011

President Obama said in London that it would be a "mistake" for the Palestinians to go to the United Nations to proclaim a state. During a news conference Wednesday in the British capital with Prime Minister David Cameron, Obama called for the Palestinians and Israelis to return to the negotiating table.

Italy will not recognize unilateral Palestinian state, Berlusconi says

Published on May 12, 2011

Italy will never recognize a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said. Berlusconi at a celebration of Israel's 63rd birthday praised the Jewish state as the only democracy in the Middle East. He was the guest of honor Wednesday at an Israeli Independence Day reception hosted by Israeli Ambassador Gideon Meir.

France considering recognizing Palestinian state

Published on April 25, 2011

France is actively considering recognizing a Palestinian state, along with other European neighbors. “The recognition of a Palestinian state is an option that we are currently thinking about, with our European partners,” Gérard Araud, France’s ambassador to the United Nations told journalists April 22.

EU will not recognize unilaterally declared Palestinian state

Published on December 13, 2010

The European Union will not recognize Palestinian statehood until an "appropriate" time, its Foreign Affairs Council said in a statement.

Argentina joins Brazil in recognizing Palestinian state

Published on December 7, 2010

Argentina has recognized a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, according to a note sent from President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to Mahmoud Abbas.

Lieberman offers population exchange plan at U.N.

Published on September 28, 2010

Israel's foreign minister presented a plan to the United Nations that would transfer Israeli Arab towns to a future Palestinian state in exchange for annexing Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Arab League could back off ‘two-state’ solution

By Leslie Susser
Published on February 28, 2008

Irked by the slow rate of progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, major Arab players are threatening to withdraw their offer to normalize ties with Israel once a Palestinian state is established. Underlying the Arab reassessment is a deeper problem: Arab belief in the viability of "the two-state solution" is diminishing. And the worry in Jerusalem is that this growing lack of confidence could undermine the fragile negotiating process so carefully put in place at the regional peace conference in Annapolis, Md., last November.

OneVoice speaks mistakenly on achieving peace

By Arthur Cohn
Published on November 15, 2007

Again and again, private organizations appear on the scene, promoting agendas designed to advance the peace process in the Middle East. In many cases, their intentions may be good; unfortunately, however, they generally lack a minimal understanding of the situation, and their programs and proposals are based on mistaken assumptions. As a result, their contribution to an easing of the prevailing tension between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs is of little or no value. An examination of one of these peace efforts, the OneVoice movement.

With Pakistan in turmoil, Israel keeps eye on nukes

By Leslie Susser
Published on November 15, 2007

With the pro-U.S. regime of Pervez Musharraf in crisis following the Pakistani president's move to suspend his country's constitution and scuttle planned parliamentary elections, Israel is watching the developments with great concern.

Bush Takes Wary Steps in Middle East

By Ron Kampeas
Published on March 3, 2005

Congress officially is lined up behind President Bush's grand vision of Palestinian democracy -- but it wants details along with that vision.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives' powerful International Relations Committee met last week, right after two congressional resolutions overwhelmingly endorsing Bush's call for a Palestinian state were passed.

Palestinians Facing Uncertain Future

By Fadi A. Elsalameen
Published on January 6, 2005

Standing in the Muqata, Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah, on his funeral day made me believe that we Palestinians must overcome a hurdle if we are to move forward.

Our youth face uncertainty, our people feel lost and beaten and our elders are sad to think that their children and grandchildren will share their same destiny -- never to live in peace in an independent Palestinian state.

Obstacles Remain in Post-Arafat Era

By Leslie Susser
Published on November 18, 2004

The post-Arafat era has begun with high hopes in Washington, London, Jerusalem and even Ramallah -- but many of the obstacles that prevented peace in Arafat's day remain, and it's not clear whether any of the major players has the single-minded determination to make peace happen.

The United States is not as actively involved as it may have to be; the Europeans, who would like to be intimately involved, don't have the necessary political clout; the Israeli leadership, insulated by strong American backing and facing a recalcitrant right wing, sees no need to hurry, and the new Palestinian leaders, hamstrung by radical, violent opponents, may not be able to make concessions beyond what the late Palestinian Authority president countenanced.

President Bush gave an inkling of the ambivalence inherent in American policy after a meeting last week in Washington with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The Blood of Arafat

By Deanne Stillman
Published on November 18, 2004

There are reports that Yasser Arafat died from a blood disorder. His death, and in particular these reports, reminds me of a strange photograph that flew across the wires a couple days after Sept. 11. In it, Arafat was giving blood at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, arm outstretched and primed with a green tourniquet, needle in vein, blood flowing into a vial that would soon be en route to New York City. His donation would become part of what was quickly becoming a vast stockpile of blood for survivors who were thought and hoped to be clinging to life under the collapsed towers. I was in New York that day, and I remember studying the image and wondering about all the buckets of blood he himself had spilled. The more I looked at the photo, the more it seemed as if he was wondering about the same thing.

Project Re’ut Melds Optimism, Realism

By Marc Ballon
Published on January 1, 2004

For many observers the "road map," which envisions creating a Palestinian state adjacent to Israel, looks increasingly like a dead end. As does the Geneva accord. With Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists blowing up innocent Israelis in bloody attacks and Israel building a security fence around itself that slices through Palestinian lands, rarely has peace seemed so elusive.

For Gidi Grinstein, though, the current deadlock should be but a detour on the way to a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians. The 33-year-old director of Project Re'ut, a new Tel Aviv-based think tank that envisions creating a comprehensive approach for Israel to move toward a beneficial two-state solution, said he is cautiously optimistic, although a realist.

Project Re’ut Melds Optimism, Realism

By Marc Ballon
Published on November 6, 2003

For many observers the "road map," which envisions creating a Palestinian state adjacent to Israel, looks increasingly like a dead end. With Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists blowing up innocent Israelis in bloody attacks and Israel building a security fence around itself that slices through Palestinian lands, rarely has peace seemed so elusive.

For Gidi Grinstein, though, the current deadlock should be but a detour on the way to a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Creation of Mini-Iraq Seen in Peace Plan

By Morton A. Klein
Published on May 8, 2003

While the Bush administration has put an end to the Iraqi terrorist state, its "road map" will create a Palestinian Arab terrorist state -- a mini-Iraq. This will endanger Israel and undermine America's war against terrorism.

Netanyahu’s Tactical Mistake

By David Newman
Published on June 13, 2002

Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a major tactical blunder when he pushed through the vote in the Likud Party central committee to the effect that they would no longer discuss or consider the future establishment of a Palestinian state as a means to resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict. Not only did he lose public support inside Israel, not only did he lose the international image he has taken so long to build up in the foreign news media, especially in the United States, but more important than all that, he tried to force his party into adopting a policy that is passé. The decision of the Likud Party was, to put it simply, meaningless.

Zinni’s Third Time Around

By Matthew E. Berger
Published on March 14, 2002

Peace envoy Anthony Zinni's return to the Middle East later this week is seen as an attempt to address mounting international pressure on the Bush administration.

Managing the Bitter Debate Ahead

By James D
Published on October 7, 1999

Next month, Prime Minister Ehud Barak will travel to Atlanta for the General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities, the central philanthropic and service organization in the American Jewish world.

AIPAC Adapts

By James D
Published on May 27, 1999

That squeak audible over Washington this week was the sound of the pro-Israel lobby turning on a dime.
Stung by criticism by some Labor leaders of a longstanding pro-Likud tilt, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), began a quick readjustment at this week's annual policy conference in Washington.

Going Their Ways

By Tom Tugend
Published on March 18, 1999

That squeak audible over Washington this week was the sound of the pro-Israel lobby turning on a dime.
Stung by criticism by some Labor leaders of a longstanding pro-Likud tilt, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), began a quick readjustment at this week's annual policy conference in Washington.