Topic: David Makovsky

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Netanyahu brings starkly different vision to Obama's White House

While President Obama has voiced support for pro-democracy uprisings across the Middle East, the instability has made Israel's Netanyahu wary of making concessions for peace.
Palestine papers: America's approach to peace talks 'a failed policy'?

The Palestine papers, leaked documents purporting to reveal details of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, may create obstacles to ongoing talks – or sweep away failed strategies and allow new progress.
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators fault US focus on settlements

Both sides, together with the US, appear to be regrouping after the Obama administration gave up on securing another settlement freeze.
Will Abbas get, and accept, a two-month settlement freeze?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is backing a 'loyalty oath' to appease Israel's right wing, and there are indications that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be offered a two-month settlement freeze to keep peace talks going.
Deadline extended in bid to keep Israel-Palestinian talks alive

Palestinian leaders say continued settlement expansion in the West Bank could halt peace talks by the end of the week. Is an acceptable compromise in the works?
Why the Israeli 'consensus' on settlements is not so simple

Israelis often refer to a 'consensus' that several major settlement blocs should be incorporated into Israel as part of a two-state solution. But some Israelis can't even find them on a map.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks: why this time might go better

Conditions may be ripe for progress in the Israeli-Palestinian talks, some Middle East experts say. For one thing, Obama is starting the process much earlier in his tenure than some presidents.
Why Israel is leaning on Egypt's Hosni Mubarak to nudge peace process

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a staple of Mideast politics for more than 30 years, hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Cairo this weekend amid rising concerns about Mubarak's health.
US-Israel ties: Why Obama wants more from Netanyahu

President Obama hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House today for the first time since March, when he humiliated Mr. Netanyahu amid a US-Israel flap over settlements.
Editorial Board Blog
Gaza flotilla: Why Israel insisted on a blockade
Gaza flotilla: Why the blockade makes sense for Israel

Until Hamas accepts Israel’s right to exist and stops launching rocket attacks, Israel may have to continue the Gaza blockade.
Israeli settlements standoff with US: Netanyahu fails to defuse tensions

Two weeks after Israeli settlements touched off unusually high tensions with Israel's closest ally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads home from Washington without a resolution.
Netanyahu says Israel ready for a Palestinian state – with conditions

But a future Palestine must be 'demilitarized,' and the Jewish settlements won't be halted, Israel's leader says.
Ahead of summit, Obama and Netanyahu press different agendas

When the leaders meet Monday, the US will push for progress toward a Palestinian state, while Israel will ask for a harder line on Iran.
Gazan civilians increasingly at risk in assault on Hamas

Israel may consider a 48-hour cease-fire with Hamas, but threatened a ground invasion if militant rockets didn't stop during a temporary truce.
Isolated Jenin opens to some cross-barrier traffic

Once a militant bastion, the West Bank city is now open to visits from Israeli Arabs. The move could help bolster the peace process and provide a much-needed economic boost.