All Policy Analysis by David Makovsky

Despite the inflammatory rhetoric in his latest speech, the Palestinian leader is unlikely to foreclose the two-state process and opt for armed struggle, Islamist domination, or other risky options.

The chasm is widening between Israeli and EU views on the Palestinians, but officials should not overlook their policy convergence on Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.

The president's statement does not, in fact, concede Palestinian rights and claims, but he must now make this clear to avoid empowering rejectionists.

The challenge for the president is clear: acknowledge the de facto reality, but don't take a position on the city's final status.

It isn't too late for a two-state peace process, and bringing the land into focus proves it.

For now, Palestinian officials will likely pursue half-measures rather than a true unity government, so Washington may find limited value in a formal statement against Hamas.

Rather than seeking indiscriminate cuts to Palestinian aid, U.S. legislators must craft a bill that encourages the PA to reform its behavior.

The recent events again proved the dangerous potential of the city's holy sites.

The tepid response to the deal by Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu can be summed up in one word: Iran.

Israelis must recognize that the American aid that has deterred major wars since 1973 is not automatic, and U.S. Jews are instrumental in securing it.

Publicly at least, the president's first trip to Israel focused on symbolic rapprochement rather than policy pressure, but at some point the administration will need to clarify its next steps on the peace process and Iran.