I was happy to read Jimmy Carter’s op-ed in yesterday’s New York Times arguing in favor of broad engagement with foreign leaders. Indeed, the policy of enforced diplomatic isolation, which the United States has instituted against a number of countries, has brought few positive results. Time and time again, continued dialogue has yielded far more favorable outcomes. What concrete benefits can we see from our policy of shunning discussion with Syria, for example? Few, if any. America’s...

A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said again this week that he is interested in pursuing a comprehensive peace deal with Israel to determine the direction of diplomatic relations, as well as the future of the much-coveted Golan Heights. In a worrying sign, however, Assad also stated that an agreement would not necessarily lead to full normalization of relations. “Restoration of land and rights may lead...

There’s a dance going on between Syria and Israel over the resumption of peace talks. It’s a jig that’s complicated by the various military maneuvers of each side, the resistance of the Bush administration, and the demands of the Olmert government. Ultimately, peace overtures are likely to fall short – at least for the time being. First, some background. Israel invaded the Golan Heights, a very fertile and beautiful part of Syria, back in 1967. They have yet to give it up, and...

Carter’s meeting with Khaled Meshaal over the weekend wasn’t exactly a blinding success. Dion Nissenbaum, the Jerusalem bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers, has the scoop: In his talks with Hamas leaders, Carter sought to persuade the group to declare a unilateral, 30-day cease fire in Gaza as a good-will gesture. But Hamas was having none of it. Early Monday, Carter said, he called Mashaal one last time to try and convince the Hamas leader to accept the idea. “I told them, ‘don’t...

A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) After meeting with former President Jimmy Carter over the weekend, exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said that in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders, his organization would agree to a ten-year ceasefire. American and Israeli officials were quick to throw cold water on the offer, however. David Baker, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, had this to say: “Israel is targeted...

Charles Krauthammer wrote in the Washington Post recently that, in the face of the advancing nuclear programs in both Iran and North Korea, the “era of nonproliferation is over.” Not so fast, though. His analysis is devoid of some much-needed historical context.

A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) Last Friday, Israel’s Housing and Construction Ministry announced its decision to build 48 new houses in the West Bank settlement of Ariel and 52 houses in the settlement of Elkana. Israel has defended the decision by noting that they will merely be a part of the existing settlement blocs and do not represent a land grab. The Palestinians aren’t buying it, however: “These plans and resolutions…really...

Are we moving towards a “nonpolar” world?

J Street, the counterweight to AIPAC that was launched yesterday, has a slick new video on YouTube:

This is huge: (via The Washington Post) Some of the country’s most prominent Jewish liberals are forming a political action committee and lobbying group aimed at dislodging what they consider the excessive hold of neoconservatives and evangelical Christians on U.S. policy toward Israel. The group is planning to channel political contributions to favored candidates in perhaps a half-dozen campaigns this fall, the first time an organization focused on Israel has tried to play such a direct...

A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) In a recent interview, Jimmy Carter outlined what will be discussed in his upcoming meeting with the exiled Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal. He said that of primary importance would be the issue of the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Additionally, the former president said that he would talk with Meshaal about the group’s commitment to peace, particularly their willingness to adopt the 2002 Arab League...

Obama has finally drawn a line in the sand about negotiating with foreign leaders. Too bad he’s drawn it in the wrong place. “Sen. Obama does not agree with President Carter’s decision to go forward with [a meeting with exiled Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal] because he does not support negotiations with Hamas until they renounce terrorism, recognize Israel’s right to exist, and abide by past agreements,” a spokesman for the Obama campaign said. “As president, Obama...

Clinton has boasted in the past that her experiences as First Lady and as New York Senator have provided her with a unique opportunity to do some serious international traveling – to several dozen countries, in fact. It’s a boast that serves to suggest that she has gained some strong, first-hand background in international politics. Contrary to her claims of worldliness, however, these kind of from-the-airport-to-the-embassy trips don’t exactly provide a wealth of understanding...

“Talking to you is like talking to a goat.”

A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) Israeli analyst Daniel Levy notes that Condoleezza Rice’s recent visit to Israel did not lead to any progress on settlement issues. On the contrary: “The tarmac had barely cooled off from Secretary Rice’s departure earlier in the week and the Israeli government was already announcing plans to build 600 new apartments in the Givat Ze’ev settlement and the approval of 800 new units in Betar Illit,”...

In Turkey, the battle continues between secularists and Islamists. This week, the country’s highest court agreed to consider banning the Islamist-leaning “Justice and Development Party” (AKP) and bar 71 of its leading members – including the current prime minister and president – from participation in political life. This wouldn’t be the first time that the avowedly secular court (8 of its 11 judges are secularists) has weighed in on such controversial political matters....

The annual summit of the Arab League came and went this week. Held in Damascus, the meeting can be added to the long list of useless Arab summits. This one, however, reached a new low point. Boycotted by the main Sunni heavyweights, the meeting presented more of a front of regional division, than unity. As Syria’s Bashar al-Assad was making his opening remarks, Saudi Arabia was busy bashing Damascus for its interference in Lebanon. Jordan, Egypt, and Yemen also stayed away. In fact, only 11...

Analyst Nir Rosen, who recently wrote a pessimistic but very insightful article on the surge for Rolling Stone magazine, gives his take on the current situation in Iraq. It’s well worth watching.

A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) Writing in Prospect magazine, Israeli journalist Gershom Gorenberg calls for the creation of a more mainstream pro-Israel lobby. Contrary to popular belief, he suggests, the actions of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) do not represent the views of most American Jews. In fact, while American Jews generally support the two-state solution and an end to occupation, AIPAC’s positions are...

A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) Political analyst Daniel Levy notes that Israel continues to drag its feet on dismantling illegal outposts. Unlike settlements, which are authorized by the Israeli authorities, outposts are illegal under Israeli law. Nonetheless, in an effort to increase the number of settlers in the West Bank, subsequent Israeli governments have turned a blind eye to outpost construction. While decrying it as illegal, Levy...

…as argued by political analyst Matt Dupuis.

The Wall Street Journal is running an editorial this morning arguing that President Bush has been inaccurately characterized as a go-it-alone president. In fact, they suggest, “with a couple of exceptions, he’s been the model of a modern multilateralist.” This is an absurdly hard point to make, and the WSJ makes a valid attempt. But, inevitably, they fall short. The problem with their argument is transparent: It’s certainly not “model” multilateralism when the...

And so, it begins anew. Although the 7-month ceasefire hasn’t come to an official end, Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army is again picking up their arms, this time to battle American and Iraqi forces in the Shiite-dominated southern port city of Basra. Local members of ISCI (led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim) and Dawa (led by Nuri al-Maliki) have fled the area. The fighting has recently spread to Baghdad, and Sadr City appears to be coming apart at the seams. The renewed fighting, and the apparent...

A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) Salam Fayyad, the West Bank’s Palestinian prime minister, has conducted a very interesting interview with an Israeli journalist. Fayyad is a Western-educated economist who is widely respected by the United States and other international players. He is considered highly pragmatic, and has established a good working relationship with the Bush administration. (After a successful meeting with President Bush...

A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) In the wake of the Mercaz Harav massacre earlier this month, a number of leading Israeli Jews have made public calls for tougher measures to be taken against Israeli Arabs. Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a prominent leader in the ultra-Orthodox community, has demanded that Arabs should not be allowed to work in yeshiva religious schools; similarly, Rabbi Dov Lior of the Council of Rabbis of Judea and Samaria has called...