Israel and the Palestinian Territories
For 70 years, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has affected the Middle East landscape. A comprehensive diplomatic solution has defied international efforts, leaving publics disillusioned about the prospect of peace. Through analysis, dialogue and joint action at the policy, institutional and grassroots levels, the United States Institute of Peace works to strengthen diplomatic peacemaking efforts; enhance community security for Israelis and Palestinians; empower Palestinian and Israeli civil society actors to build trust within and between their societies and build institutional capabilities that prepare the ground for a just, peaceful and sustainable solution to the conflict.
Learn more in USIP’s fact sheet on The Current Situation: Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict.
Featured Publications
Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen on Israel’s Election
A coalition involving several extreme right-wing parties has Benjamin Netanyahu poised to return as Israel’s prime minister. “In some sense he owes them a debt,” says USIP’s Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen. “What is the cost being extracted by these right-wing parties” as the government formation process begins?
Could the Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Deal be a Game-Changer?
Israel, Lebanon and the United States announced this week that a deal has been reached between Israel and Lebanon on each country’s maritime border. Negotiations between the parties over the 330-square-miles of the Mediterranean Sea have proceeded with stops and starts since 2020, but over the past few months edged toward a mutually acceptable outcome. Under the agreement, the contested waters will be divided by a line straddling the “Qana” natural gas field. Both parties would be able to produce gas on their side of the line, in addition to royalty arrangements agreed upon. A buoy line will remain between the two countries.
Israel-Gaza Conflict: A Short Confrontation with Disproportionate Implications
No one was ever in doubt about the damage that the Israeli army can inflict on Gaza, or in the occupied territories in general, in any military confrontation. The gap in the balance of power is one of the widest in the region. This has been the case in the wars that took place in 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021, and in the latest military attack that ended on August 7, 2022. The duration of the conflict, the extent of the destruction in Gaza, the regional and international response and other factors varied widely. However, unsurprisingly, like in previous confrontations, each side claims that to some extent it was able to achieve its objectives.