http://www.usmep.us/usmep non partisan analysis of the Middle East peace process Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:21:03 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en By Bernard Avishai March 8, 2010 Foreign Policy Everybody knows the core issues between Israelis and Palestinians, except for the one that will matter the most and can be acted on immediately, before any comprehensive deal; the one where Israel's concessions will not compromise its security but enhance it. I am speaking of ... http://www.usmep.us/usmep/2010/03/09/the-real-hope-of-economic-peace/ By Henry Siegman February 24, 2010 Financial Times The Middle East peace process and its quest for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict that got under way nearly 20 years ago with the Oslo accords has undergone two fundamental transformations. It is now on the brink of a third. The first was the ... http://www.usmep.us/usmep/2010/02/24/for-israel-defiance-comes-at-the-cost-of-legitimacy/ By Daniel Levy February 14, 2010 Haaretz In his keynote address at last week's Herzliya Conference, Ehud Barak summoned up the most dramatic case for changing the status quo: If, and as long as between the Jordan and the sea, there is only one political entity, named Israel, it will end up being either ... http://www.usmep.us/usmep/2010/02/18/a-retractionist-retentionist-discourse/ By Zvi Bar'el February 7, 2010 Haaretz Ehud Barak said what he had to say, Bashar Assad did not understand or maybe he did, Avigdor Lieberman uttered his usual concoction, Benjamin Netanyahu explained that “we want peace,” and life is good. Everything is all right. This week’s ruckus is over. All that remains ... http://www.usmep.us/usmep/2010/02/07/peace-with-syria-as-vital-as-stopping-irans-bomb/ By Patrick Martin February 5, 2010 Globe and Mail It's been a year since the election that brought Benjamin Netanyahu to power in Israel and, for most Israelis, it's been the best year in recent memory. There has been almost no violence or breaches of security, and the country's economy weathered the world recession ... http://www.usmep.us/usmep/2010/02/05/is-this-israels-calm-before-the-storm/ By Hillel Halkin February 4, 2010 Wall Street Journal There is one obvious solution for Israel's West Bank settlements that has been all but completely overlooked: Let the settlers continue living where they are, but in the state of Palestine. As a conception, it's stunningly simple. Its very obviousness has rendered it invisible, like ... http://www.usmep.us/usmep/2010/02/04/what-to-do-with-the-settlements/ By Geoffrey Aronson January-February 2010 Settlement Report, Foundation for Middle East Peace After a year of well-intentioned but counterproductive diplomatic effort, President Barack Obama’s interest in and ability to achieve a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians appear to be waning. In a common assessment of the impact of ... http://www.usmep.us/usmep/2010/02/03/a-chastened-obama-searches-for-a-negotiating-strategy/ By Meron Benvenisti January 22, 2010 Ha'aretz [Appeared in Hebrew, translation by Zalman Amit and Daphna Levitt.] The occupation of the territories in 1967 resulted from military action, but the military element quickly became secondary, while the “civilian” component,-settlements,-became the dominant factor, subjugating the military to its needs and turning the security forces into ... http://www.usmep.us/usmep/2010/01/22/the-inevitable-bi-national-regime/ By Judy Dempsey January 20, 2010 New York Times BERLIN — There are some foreign policy issues that Angela Merkel does not like to talk about. One is Afghanistan. The other is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So when she was asked about Israel’s settlement policy and the blockade of Gaza during a joint news ... http://www.usmep.us/usmep/2010/01/20/embracing-israel-costs-merkel-clout/ By Rami G. Khouri January 20, 2010 The Daily Star The first anniversary of Barack Obama’s presidency is a good time to review his performance in the Middle East, and the Middle East’s performance vis-à-vis the United States. The exercise is depressing, but useful, especially when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict ... http://www.usmep.us/usmep/2010/01/20/obamas-year-one-low-marks-for-all/