The administration has been combining “top-down," “bottom-up” and regional efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In November, this led to Israel’s announcement of a 10-month moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank. On March 8, Senator George Mitchell announced the advent of proximity talks between Israelis and Palestinians that have since been thrown into question. While much activity has occurred out of the public eye, the following is a snapshot of the administration’s public efforts since President Obama’s UN speech. For information, please see our Background Basics on the Obama administration’s diplomatic efforts towards Middle East peace through September.
Top-Down Track
Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell
Since the UN summit, Mitchell has made five trips to the region: in early October; late October and early November with Secretary Clinton; late January, early March with Vice President Biden and late March. He met with Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian leaders during these trips. Mitchell also traveled to Europe in mid-January to gain support from European leaders and Quartet officials. Following prolonged negotiations with the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships, Mitchell announced the beginning of U.S.-led proximity talks in the beginning of his March trip.
Senior Officials on Israeli-Palestinian Track
On September 23, the day after a meeting with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, President Obama delivered a speech to the UN, which highlighted the need to work towards Middle East peace. In late October, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice delivered a key speech in Israel and also met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and later Egyptian officials during a trip in early November. In March, Vice President Joe Biden made the highest-level official U.S. visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories and later traveled to Jordan.
Bottom-Up Track
In coordination with the international community and the Office of the Quartet Representative, the administration works closely with the Palestinian Authority and private sector to strengthen Palestinian economic, security and governance sectors and develop Palestinian institutions. Examples of efforts since September include:
Economic Sector: A loan guarantee facility (LGF), run by the Middle East Investment Initiative and supported by the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, passed the $50 million mark for total loans dispersed since 2007. One LGF loan led to the establishment of Wataniya Palestine, which for the first time introduced competition into the Palestinian cell phone sector. The LGF works with local banks to build internal capacity.
Security Sector: U.S.-funded Palestinian security forces trained in Jordan, totaling more than 2,600 members, were deployed in five Palestinian cities with a sixth battalion undergoing training as of February.
Governance: In late October, USAID, through CHF International, worked with the PA Ministry of Local Government’s Guidance and Monitoring department during a three day workshop designed to improve the PA’s long-term strategic plan.
Movement and Access: Following USAID-funded improvements, Israel opened the Jalameh border crossing in the northern West Bank to Arab-Israeli vehicles in October 2009. In February, USAID efforts led to Israel’s opening of route 585 in the northern West Bank.
Regional Track
Senior Officials to the Region
A series of senior administration officials, including Clinton, National Security Adviser Jim Jones, CIA Director Leon Panetta, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, CENTCOM Commander David Petraeus, and others, visited the region and held discussions on topics including Iran, Middle East peace and bilateral relations between December and February. They met with leaders from Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and the UAE. In early February, Obama also spoke on the phone with Jordan’s King Abdullah to move negotiations forward. In mid-February, Obama nominated a U.S. ambassador to Syria for the first time since 2005. Top officials from the State Department, Defense Department and intelligence community participated in the “U.S.-Israel Strategic Dialogue” in Israel in late February.
Regional Leader’s Visits to Washington
Numerous senior Middle Eastern officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey also visited Washington from December to February to discuss regional and bilateral issues.
