War and Peace in the Age of Coronavirus
Against the backdrop of the Coronavirus crisis, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin spoke with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, saying the crisis “does not distinguish between
The Solution to Gaza is a Diplomatic One
So, what do we do about Gaza? Every new round of violence generates a marathon of media interviews with the usual suspects mouthing the usual platitudes – Israel must rehabilitate its deterrence,
Revisiting Arab Peace Initiative is best hope to solve Israel-Palestine conflict
The “deal of the century” is here, and so is the simmering, century-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although the publication of the details of President Trump’s peace initiative has not so far
Peace-Spoilers or Negotiation Partners? Netanyahu’s Understandings with Hamas
How should Israel relate to Hamas? How directly should it engage with an organization whose rule over Gaza makes it a key player in any negotiations towards an end to the Palestinian-Israel
The Palestinian Foreign Service at a Time of Diplomatic Freeze
The annual commemoration of the UN’s vote on 29 November 1947 for the partition plan provides an opportunity for the Palestinian Foreign Service and the Palestinian President to shine a global
The Resignation of Jason Greenblatt, the Peace Envoy Who Did Not Broker
President Trump’s Middle East envoy Greenblatt was very different from his predecessors. While leading US mediators and envoys were generally experienced in diplomacy and foreign policy, as well
What Should Israel’s Next Foreign Minister Do?
Eight years ago, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak warned that Israel would face a diplomatic tsunami unless it re-engaged in the long stalemated peace talks with the Palestinians. Later on, Tzipi
Who Remembers the Palestinian Issue?
Public attention in the upcoming Israeli elections is focusing on domestic political and economic issues, such as Netanyahu’s legal situation and the cost of living – and on security-related
Where Are Palestinian Politics Headed?
The resignation of Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, who headed the PA government for two terms as President Mahmoud Abbas’ right-hand man, took place at a watershed
Regional Opportunities to Improve the Situation in Gaza
Israeli and Palestinian experts and activists – together with international diplomats – gathered on 31 October 2018 at the UN Headquarters in Jerusalem for a civil society roundtable discussion
The Unfulfilled Potential of Israel’s Relations with Arab Countries
On 29 May 2018, the Mitvim Institute and the Leonard Davis Institute held a joint conference devoted to the unfulfilled potential of Israel’s relations with Arab countries. The conference took
Korea Is Not a Likely Precedent for Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking
On 27 April 2018, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. It was the first time that a North Korean leader had crossed the border to the south since the
Changes in Domestic Palestinian Politics and Their Influence on Israel and the Middle East
On May 7th 2018, the Mitvim Institute and the Program for Middle East Studies at the Yezreel Valley Academic College held a conference that focused on the changes in the Palestinian domestic
Israel and the Abbas Peace Plan
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority’s chairman, appeared on February 20th before the Security Council and presented a new Palestinian peace plan, with a number of points: first, a request
Opportunities for Israel’s Foreign Relations towards 2018
The 2017 annual conference of the Mitvim Institute was held on 1 November 2017 in Jerusalem, in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. As part of the conference, a public panel was held
A Look at the Palestinian Reconciliation Process
The agreement signed between Fatah and Hamas on 12 October 2017, under the auspices of Egyptian intelligence, is in fact a memorandum of understanding that signals the beginning of a process of
Lessons, Warnings and Hope from South Africa for Israel and Palestine
With the possibility that four-term Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could one day fall due to corruption investigations, and succession speculation around aging Palestinian leader Mahmoud
Sanwar and Dahlan: An Egyptian-Brokered Alliance against Abbas
The renewed relationship between the Hamas leader and the former Fatah strongman, who grew up together in the Khan Younis refugee camp, proves that the key for creating change in the Palestinian
What Abbas Should Be Concerned About?
On July 2, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a speech at the African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa. The speech attracted little attention from Israeli or global media,
The Palestinians also know how to miss opportunities
US President Trump’s visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority creates expectations for a breakthrough in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To assess the likelihood of such a breakthrough, it
International Involvement towards Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Resolution
Given ongoing stagnation in the peace process and the new American administration, the Mitvim Institute convened a policy-planning roundtable to discuss which steps the international community
The future of Palestinian diplomacy in the Trump era
The developments during the early months of 2017 show that the Palestinian Authority continues to prefer to express its opposition to Israeli policy through diplomatic means, including attempts
The Future of Palestinian Diplomatic Activism in the Trump Era
The developments during the early months of 2017 show that the Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to prefer to express its opposition to Israeli policy through diplomatic means, including
The Opportunities of the Paris Peace Conference
The upcoming international conference regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, on January 15th in Paris, comes at a time when hope for progress in the peace process is at a deep low. Add
The Postponement of the Palestinian Local Elections and its Ramifications
The Palestinian government recently decided to postpone local elections – that were scheduled for October 2016 – by four months, whilst limiting voting to the West Bank alone. The decision was
Who Will Inherit Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas?
The Fatah movement and the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Movement) leadership are experiencing a deep internal crisis. In 1969, Fatah leader Yassir Arafat took control of PLO institutions and
From opportunities to missed opportunities
Over the past two years, the Israeli discourse has frequently included terms like “an opportunity to promote regional cooperation,” or “regional initiative.” This discourse is not limited to the
The Revolt of the Young Palestinian Generation
The latest cycle of violence clearly shows the despair young Palestinians feel. This is a generation that will not follow its political leadership blindly. It loathes the existing political
Biden in Israel: A reset in diplomatic ties?
When Joe Biden visits Israel, drama inevitably ensues. Few in Israel have forgotten his 2010 trip, when upon his arrival the Interior Ministry announced the construction of new Jewish homes in
The Way Forward in Israeli-Palestinian Relations
As violence between Israelis and Palestinians escalated amid diplomatic stagnation, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies
The 2015 UN General Assembly and the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process: Commentary & Analysis
The stagnation in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process was clearly reflected at the 2015 UN General Assembly. The speeches of Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu lacked vision and hope, and
Abu Mazen: A Man in Search of a Legacy
The Palestinian President has recently announced his resignation from the position of Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee. This move took place in parallel to the intensification of power
Congress Shouldn’t Cut Aid to the Palestinian Authority
Following the kidnapping of three Israeli youths and Secretary of State John Kerry hinting at Hamas responsibility, U.S. congressmen were right to question the merits of the new Palestinian
By condemning abduction, Abbas proved he’s a statesman
In front of the cameras, at the conference of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority chairman chose Wednesday
Abbas Is on His Way to the UN Again
A week after he was attacked in Ramallah, Israeli reporter Avi Issacharoff was invited by President Abbas to his office to condemn the attack and grant him an exclusive interview. Among the
Israeli foreign policy experts: Palestinian reconciliation can be good for Israel
The Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement is being harshly condemned by Israeli government officials, including the Prime Minister himself. However, Israeli foreign policy experts from Mitvim
Suicide by Statehood
On Tuesday night, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, appearing live on television, signed the documents necessary for the Palestine Liberation Organization to seek membership in 15
The Resumption of the Palestinian UN Campaign?
Palestinians see the delay in prisoners release by Israel as a negation of their commitments to halt the international campaign; Abbas is looking to increase his leverage, but the US should be
Palestine’s Plan for when Peace Talks Fail
Despite the unshakable and quixotic optimism of John Kerry’s Middle East negotiating team, the prevailing prognosis in Jerusalem and Ramallah is that even an attempt to implement an interim
Palestine’s Self-Inflicted Wounds
About six months ago, I sat in a coffee shop in al-Tireh, a suburb of Ramallah, and interviewed a senior official within Fatah. The official, wanting to talk about the internal dynamics within
Palestine’s Plan B
In the time it took John Kerry to announce that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians would be starting again, a microcosm of the past couple years in the conflict played out. Initial
Israel Should Support Palestinian Reconciliation
Hamas has notified Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that it wants to join a national unity government with Fatah, marking a breakthrough in reconciliation talks, according to the
There Is No Israeli Partner
The claim that there is no one to talk to on the Palestinian side is a common one in Israeli discourse, seemingly an axiom. The Netanyahu-Barak-Lieberman government has managed to stick the
3 Key Takeaways From This Week’s Palestinian Elections
The democratic process was alive and well in at least one part of the Middle East this past weekend, as the West Bank saw a frenetic end to its campaign season. Municipal elections were held on
Continuing on the Path to Statehood: The Palestinians Following their Septmember 2011 UN Bid
Mitvim representatives participated in meetings with a series of key Palestinian figures from Ramallah and Nablus. The meetings focused on the implications of the Palestinian UN statehood bid of
