Brookings Institution
Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution and former director of its Saban Center for Middle East Policy; Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs during the Clinton Administration and former US Ambassador to Israel and author of Innocent Abroad: An Intimate Account of American Peace Diplomacy in the Middle East
Diplomacy in Jerusalem, death in Gaza As the U.S. moved its embassy to Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers were killing unarmed protesters in Gaza. Good politics for Trump and Netanyahu, but how long will that last--especially if support for Israel becomes a partisan issue in the U.S.?
Another President, Another Try for Middle East Peace Secretary of State Clinton today formally opened the first direct talks in almost two years between Israel and the West Bank Palestinians. In a public ceremony, she addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Another President, Another Try for Middle East Peace Secretary of State Clinton today formally opened the first direct talks in almost two years between Israel and the West Bank Palestinians. In a public ceremony, she addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Under non-stop pressure from the United States, the challenge is to resolve decades-long disagreements in the next year, but even advocates of a Palestinian state say failure could make matters worse. How far apart are they on settlements, borders, the "right of return" and the status of Jerusalem? Neither Abbas nor Netanyahu has much domestic support for historic compromise. Did they come together because of their worries about Iran?
Israel under Siege after Deadly Raid on Gaza Protest Flotilla Turkey is Israel's closest ally in the Muslim world, but Prime Minister Recep Erdogan called yesterday's attack "a bloody massacre." In Washington, Turkey's foreign minister told CNN that Turkey wants an independent investigation…an apology from Israel…and compensation for Turks who lost their lives. We get updates from the Middle East, the UN and Washington, where the Obama Administration faces another awkward reality.
Israel under Siege after Deadly Raid on Gaza Protest Flotilla Yesterday's deadly Israeli attack on a flotilla of ships bearing aid to the Gaza Strip has produced street demonstrations worldwide and a diplomatic firestorm. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a trip that included a meeting with President Obama. Although Turkey is Israel's closest ally in the Muslim world, its Prime Minister called yesterday's attack "a bloody massacre." In Washington, the Turkish Foreign Minister, on his way to meet Secretary of State Hillary Cilnton, told CNN that Turkey wants an independent investigation…an apology from Israel…and compensation for Turks who lost their lives."
America's Tangled Diplomacy in the Middle East In Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, diplomats from some 50 countries are meeting this week on the future of Iraq . Prime Minister al-Maliki is under intense pressure, asking forgiveness of $50 billion in debt rolled up by Saddam Hussein while trying to show he can hold on to his own job. Today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Syria's foreign minister--the countries' most senior diplomatic contact since 2005, when the US pulled its ambassador from Damascus after the assassination of Lebanon's former Prime Minister. Rice may also meet her Iranian counterpart, but there are new problems with Saudi Arabia. Will King Abdullah help Iraq rebuild by forgiving debts racked up by Saddam Hussein? Is America's most important Arab ally trying to distance itself from US interests in the Middle East?
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.