All Policy Analysis by Ghaith al-Omari

Although the Palestinian leader is hesitant to discuss tougher U.S. requests and may be unable to deliver on them immediately, President Trump should make firm demands on difficult issues while offering to work with him on meeting them.

While 'warm' peace should remain the ultimate goal, a cold, flawed peace is infinitely preferable to no peace at all, and Israel has already struck such accords with other Arab governments.

Although Israeli trust-building steps are important, Palestinian leaders need to reciprocate by clearly showing their people that peace and terrorism are incompatible.

This essay series explores how non-Islamist Arab political actors might facilitate progress toward reform and democratic transition.

The meeting's main outcomes will probably disappoint ardent supporters and detractors alike, but the parties should not dismiss the potential progress offered by its more modest, concrete recommendations.

After numerous postponements, the upcoming conference could inject energy into the aging movement and stabilize its ranks, but not if the internal elections exclude large constituencies or come across as rigged.

As Hamas prepares to elect a new leadership, its outward show of unity masks deep internal divisions that will likely perpetuate its regional isolation.

Although the nascent Palestinian initiative may fizzle out on its own, U.S. inaction could draw the Obama administration into an unwanted diplomatic fracas or preempt its own potential initiative.

Their presence will likely be more low-profile than for Rabin's funeral twenty years ago, but this is more a sign of the post-Oslo times than a rebuttal of their increasingly close ties with Israel in various spheres.

Despite optimism from some observers, the proposed Palestinian municipal vote could create a scenario that entrenches divisions and deepens the national political crisis.

Convincing Abbas to clarify succession and return the security services to nonpolitical control will require higher-level engagement from Washington and other parties.

The divisive discourse on many American campuses threatens to doom Jewish and Muslim student leaders to the mistakes of the past, but bringing them together for mock negotiations is a proven way of helping them understand each other's arguments, grievances, and hopes.

Ongoing bilateral security discussions aim to decrease controversial Israeli operations in parts of the West Bank, and their chances for success largely depend on avoiding the political obstacles associated with a formal agreement.

If Washington and other parties hope to enshrine the contours of future peacemaking through a Security Council resolution, they will need to overcome numerous obstacles relating to Palestinian politics, regional priorities, and America's diminished standing in the region.

Until Fatah settles its own internal power struggle, appointing a PA vice president will remain nothing but an idea divorced from political reality.