Israel

Today the New America Foundation is honored to be hosting former Egyptian First Lady, Jehan Sadat. Dr. Sadat, who spends half her year as a scholar in residence at the University of Maryland, will be discussing the ideas she outlines in her latest book, My Hope for Peace.

Chicago Tribune (08/13) quotes Steve Clemons on liberal opposition to a Bayh VP slot.
Pravda (08/13) quotes Flynt Leverett on Georgia's strategic mistake in provoking Russian aggression.
Israel E News (08/13) quotes Daniel Levy on Israel's shaky ceasefire with Hamas.
Washington Independent (08/13) quotes Peter Bergen on safe havens for Al Qaeda.
Financial Times (08/12) cites Steve Clemons on conservatives who support Obama.
Guardian (08/12) mentions Peter Bergen on American elites' evolving attitudes towards fighting terror.

Associated Press (08/06) cites William Hartung on potential cooperation with China on energy security.
Washington Post (08/06) quotes Flynt Leverett on Iran's continuing uranium enrichment.
National Interest (08/01) cites Peter Bergen on Washington's evolving strategy against terrorism.
Somerville Journal (08/01) quotes Daniel Levy's analysis on Israel negotiating through Turkey and Egypt.

iStockAnalyst (08/01) features Steve Clemons discussing Obama's need for a degree of moral flexibility.
Washington Independent (07/30) quotes Peter Bergen on the need for more troops in Afghanistan.
Foreign Policy (07/30) cites Daniel Levy on potential candidates to lead Kadima after Olmert's resignation.
The Window (07/19) talks with Parag Khanna on the U.S.' relationship with the Kurdish Regional Government.

Christian Science Monitor (07/28) quotes Peter Bergen on the global elite's evolving views on Al Qaeda.
Daily News Egypt (07/28) features Daniel Levy explaining Israel's reasoning behind the prisoner transfer.
Wall Street Journal (07/28) quotes Daniel Levy on Obama avoiding the Palestinian issue on his trip abroad.
UN Dispatch (07/27) features Peter Bergen arguing a need for additional soldiers in Afghanistan.
New York Times (07/25) posts Michael A. Cohen's examination of Obama's Berlin symbolism.

The Economist (07/17) quotes Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's self destructive tendencies.
iStock Analyst (07/17) features Steve Clemons arguing against claims of success in Iraq.
The New York Observer (07/17) reviews Michael Cohen's new book, Live from the Campaign Trail.
The Moderate Voice (07/16) cites Daniel Levy on evolving aspects of the Israeli Palestinian divide.
The Newshour with Jim Lehrer (07/16) interviews Daniel Levy on Israel's controversial trade with Hamas.
Financial Times (07/16) quotes Steve Clemons on the Cheney's loss of influence in the Bush Administration.
Policy Innovations (07/14) features Flynt Leverett discussing the rise of China on global business and security.

Nahr al-Bared, the devastated Palestinian refugee camp north of Beirut where the Lebanese army battled Fatah al-Islam last summer (photo by Brian Till)

Last night, following a concert at the Roman Amphitheatre in Amman, Jordan, six musicians were attacked by a sole gunman as they boarded their bus. The AP identified the gunman as Palestinian refugee Thaer Weheidi, a 19 year old resident of the Baqaa refugee camp. None were killed, though Weheidi, who turned his weapon upon himself after being chased by police, is said to be in critical condition.

While the Jordanian government holds the act was criminally motivated and not terrorist related, CNN has reported claims that the attacker yelled "Allahu Akbar" before firing on the bus.

The incident adds a new dimension to an ongoing and possibly blossoming battle. Palestinian refugees have long been a bastion of instability in the region, but of late their activity appears to be festering, rather than waning.

Khaleej Times (06/30) features Parag Khanna's analysis of the UAE as a regional power in the Middle East.
The Washington Independent (06/30) quotes Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's up-and-coming coming leadership.
The Philadelphia Enquirer (06/29) quotes Steve Clemons on policy conflicts within the Bush Administration.
Global Voices (06/28) cites Daniel Levy comparing Sarkozy and Bush's speeches before the Israeli Knesset.
The Washington Post (06/27) quotes Steve Clemons on North Korea's removal from the Terrorism Blacklist.
Project on Government Oversight (06/25) discusses William Hartung's proposal to reduce government waste.

If you just read the wires coming out of the Holy Land, the Israeli-Palestinian situation is a confused mess. Israel is negotiating with Syria, Hamas, and the PLO; Olmert is one step ahead of an indictment, and more and more Israeli politicians are calling for a military strike on Iran.

What have been lost within the noise of the 24-hour news cycle are the larger strategic issues confronting the United States in our inconstant role as mediator: how do the various Palestinian factions come together as an acceptable, effective partner in negotiations? Are Israelis finally ready to come to terms with the land-for-peace equation? Can a new U.S. president focus enough energy on Israel-Palestine when Iraq and Iran loom so large?

America does not have unlimited time to get a deal. The developments of the past couple weeks-including the revelations of indirect talks between Syria and Israel, and the recent, albeit failing, cease-fire between Israel and Hamas-provide further evidence of America's diminished capacity to influence events in the region.

We all know there have been many missed opportunities for peace in the Middle East, but 21 over the past eight years? Michael Shtender-Auerbach made this useful compilation of all the efforts that went no where over the last two terms.

Bush's Bluffing Has Made Mideast Peace a Bad Bet
The Jewish Daily Forward
By Michael Shtender-Auerbach
June 12, 2008

From Taba to Tony, from the Rose Garden to Riyadh, from Geneva to Gaza - in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, no American president has been presented with more opportunities for reaching a true and lasting peace than George W. Bush. But with just a half a year to go before he leaves the White House and little indication of a breakthrough, it is all but certain that Bush will leave behind a conflict more intractable than ever, not to mention a situation in Gaza that ranks as the world's third-largest humanitarian crisis after Somalia and Darfur.