Was the Palestinian Reconciliation Deal a Mistake?

by Mitchell Plitnick At +972 Magazine my friend and colleague, Larry Derfner, a former columnist for the Jerusalem Post, says he believes that by deciding to go forward with a third unity agreement with Hamas at this time, Palestinian President Mahmoud… Continue Reading →

Reconciliation and Peace: The Latest Hamas-Fatah Deal

by Mitchell Plitnick The collapse of the U.S.-led talks between Israel and the Palestinians is now complete. In the wake of the latest deal between the Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, Israel has terminated the talks. The United States, true… Continue Reading →

What To Do After Peace Process Failure

by Paul Pillar* Now that Secretary of State Kerry’s attempt to breathe life into the diplomacy known as the Middle East peace process has been widely pronounced—even by those who appropriately salute his efforts—to be a failure, different quarters are… Continue Reading →

Oslo Process: The Walking Dead

by Mitchell Plitnick John Kerry’s words at a report-back to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent shock waves all the way to Jerusalem. “Unfortunately, prisoners were not released on the Saturday they were supposed to be released,” he said. “And… Continue Reading →

A Threat To Israel? Palestinians Apply To Human Rights Conventions

by Mitchell Plitnick In an earlier article I discussed the apoplectic reaction by the United States to the Palestinian decision to send letters of accession to fifteen international conventions and treaties. This was condemned by Samantha Power in congressional testimony as… Continue Reading →