[Center for American Progress] Brian Katulis, Marc Lynch, and Robert C. Adler - The Obama administration needs to take four concrete steps on the Israeli-Palestinian front in the coming months: 1) Plan for the possibility of Palestinian elections in the coming year. 2) Develop an integrated program to strengthen Palestinian institutions in a broad range of sectors to lay the foundations for statehood. 3) Take immediate action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 4) Conduct a public outreach and strategic communications effort in the Middle East outlining U.S. regional strategy, with increased attention to Israeli public opinion. The Obama administration will achieve its goal of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict only if its actions are not viewed by Israelis as hostile to their interests. Israel and the U.S. cannot afford to surprise each other with unexpected, uncoordinated initiatives that collide with each other's strategic position.
2009-07-27 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive