In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

09/04/08: From Zero-Sum to Win-Win —Mara Rudman, adviser, Middle East Progress; senior fellow, Center for American Progress. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.
09/04/08: How Progress Is Possible —
08/07/08: How to Deal with Jerusalem —Lt. Col. (Res.) Ron Shatzberg, Project Director, Economic Cooperation Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

Two-State Solution Still Best Option

“In practical terms, we can reach two conclusions: First, a final-status agreement, although its details are known, cannot be secured in the foreseeable future. Second, the time has come to think about other solutions. One of them is a return not to the 1967 borders, but rather, to the reality that prevailed in 1967, when Jordan controlled the West Bank.”
—Major General (ret.) Giora Eiland, “The Jordanian Option,” YNet, September 3, 2008

"On both sides of the green line and, indeed, wherever people think about solutions to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, a lot of old/new thinking is taking place. … Most of these ideas are patently unrealistic. Discussion of them often reflects despair, not pragmatic strategic thinking. … Precisely because there is no such alternative, other options more readily suggest themselves, ranging from temporary conflict management to three states or entities. Nor does failure today mean that tomorrow we cannot try again to arrive at a two-state solution, which remains the best option for all."
—Yossi Alpher, coeditor of the bitterlemons family of internet publications & former director, Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University, "One State Definitely Not an Option," bitterlemons.org, August 18, 2008

Middle East Analysis

How Progress Is Possible —Hiba Husseini, chair, Legal Committee to Final Status Negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis; former vice chairperson of the Palestine Securities Exchange (1998-May 2005). Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
Perils of an Israeli Transition —The New York Times, Editorial
The Arabs Will Look Differently Upon America —Ron Pundak, director general of the Peres Center for Peace and former architects and negotiators of the Oslo Agreement (bitterlemons.org)

Assessing U.S. Policy in Iraq and the Middle East

Congressman Lee Hamilton (D-IN), Co-Chairman of the Iraq Study Group (Center for American Progress)

May 11, 2007

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)

I was very pleased to see the Baghdad meeting the other day where we sat at the same table with Iran and with Syria; very pleased that the secretary of state is giving much higher priority now to the question of
the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian problems.

We cannot have military operations succeed in Iraq without a diplomatic framework, and we simply have not had that. So participation in this regional conference is a positive step. It does begin to provide a framework. It has to be sustained. It has to be sustained at a higher level than took place last week. It will take a lot of very careful, skillful diplomacy to pull it off. The lines of communication have to be open and the agenda has to be expanded. But my hope is that the United States is gradually shifting toward a more balanced approach – military, political, economic and diplomatic – and that’s what will be required. Read more>>

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