Peace Process

The Arab-Israeli peace process is, to use the metaphor of choice, "back on track." That, at least, is the stylized version of the message Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak brought with him to Washington in mid-July. The reality, of course, is more complicated. And, for the Clinton administration, Barak's real

Israeli police acted swiftly yesterday to seal the gateway to the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount)--the compound that houses Islams third holiest shrine--one day after the Muslim Waqf (religious endowment) began construction on the compounds southern wall. This was the latest in a series of developments involving Palestinian activity in Jerusalem

Palestinian National Reconstruction: The past few years have witnessed enormous progress in the process of Palestinian national reconstruction. Yet, major problems persist. Most notably, the constitutional basis for Palestinian Authority (PA) institutions is lacking. There are no clear rules dictating a separation of powers or the particular roles of government

President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Ehud Barak have vowed to recreate the personal partnership and strategic coordination that characterized the late Yitzhak Rabin's term of office. On the Palestinian track, however, much has happened since 1996 to change the nature of the Oslo process. New agreements -- over Hebron

Israel-Palestinian Peace Process: In Israel and the Arab world, the mood is changing with respect to peace. In Israel, the recent elections were evidence of soul-searching. Although Israelis have diverse views on peace, last month they looked at the region and decided they needed a change. Most Israelis are now

Israel. Gen. Ehud Barak was elected with a remarkable mandate. The Israeli electorate decided that Israel was stuck on several fronts -- social issues, the economy, and peace -- and needed a new prime minister to get things moving. Change cannot be expected immediately, though, and Barak deserves time to

I am appearing here tonight at what can only be described as an interesting time. There has been an election in Israel and there is a new prime minister, Ehud Barak, who won with a remarkable mandate. It is fair to say that the Israeli electorate perceived that the country

Campaign: Israel's elections were primarily a referendum on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyhahu's leadership, and the verdict was clear: "Anybody but Netanyahu." This was also the sentiment during the campaign, especially when the three prime ministerial candidates (Yitzhak Mordechai, Ze'ev "Benny" Begin, and Azmi Bishara) from the three smaller parties dropped

After three years of a foreign policy that found Israel increasingly isolated, Ehud Barak's landslide victory in Israel's elections Monday should inaugurate a new "era of good feelings" between Israelis, Americans and Arabs. But once the honeymoon wears off, Israel's negotiating partners shouldn't expect Mr. Barak to make substantive concessions