All Policy Analysis by Ghaith al-Omari

Veteran Palestinian and Israeli policymakers respond to a new study on how Western governments can help preserve the viability of a two-state solution without launching broad, risky diplomatic campaigns aimed at forcing direct bilateral talks.

Expectations for Secretary Kerry's trip to Jerusalem and Ramallah are low, but given the mounting violence, he must nevertheless ask each side to take separate de-escalatory steps.

Prospects appear bleak for the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Mahmoud Abbas: a stalled peace process with Israel, a failed reconciliation effort with its rival Hamas, and historically low trust from Palestinian constituents. These dynamics add urgency to the Palestinian succession question, which has grown in prominence given Abbas's advanced

An Israeli journalist and a former Palestinian advisor discuss the implications of the violence in Jerusalem. Watch video or read a summary.

The president's sudden departure from the PLO executive committee was likely a maneuver to consolidate power, but it nonetheless exposes broader uncertainties in Palestinian politics.

Absent proactive international pushback and constructive, energetic PA outreach to foreign partners, Hamas might continue to score small but cumulatively significant diplomatic achievements.

Although Iran cannot be counted out as the long-term popular champion of the Palestinian cause, a new poll indicates that the Palestinian street is up for grabs.

The recent actions taken against Salam Fayyad and Yasser Abed Rabbo raise broader systemic concerns about PA governance and leadership.

Cairo and Jerusalem have a shared interest in helping Gaza's long-suffering residents but restraining Hamas.

If handled right, the seemingly imminent transition could help address concerns about over-centralization of power and stalled reconstruction, but early signs point to continued internal bickering.

President Abbas has long ensured that no new leaders would come to the fore as realistic successors, but while this may have helped him consolidate control over a fractious polity, it is potentially ruinous as a national strategy.

As bilateral security cooperation comes under increasing pressure, a new PA police initiative shows why it needs to be protected and prioritized going forward.

The Palestinian Authority may have avoided an immediate, devastating crisis following Israel's recent decision to resume the transfer of tax revenues, but the failure of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, and the unwillingness of the PA to exercise representative good governance, have created a dynamic that will continue to erode the

On January 29, Ghaith al-Omari, Dennis Ross, and David Makovsky addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Ambassador Ross, the Institute's counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow, recently returned from a regional trip that included meetings with high-level Israeli and Palestinian officials. Omari is a senior fellow at the

Ghaith al-Omari of the American Task Force on Palestine joins Institute fellows David Pollock and Jeffrey White to discuss the Gaza conflict.

The president should use his visit as an opportunity to demand that senior Israeli and Palestinian officials consistently reiterate fundamental principles that allay the basic fears of both publics.