Publication

This paper explores the Obama administration's policy in placing the Israeli settlement issue at the forefront of relations between the two countries and its implications for Middle East peace negotiations. The author argues that before addressing the issue of settlements, the heads of the US and Israeli government must establish a relationship of cooperation and trust on a wider set of issues. The art of diplomacy on settlements involves a two-fold task: to craft a sophisticated set of limitations on which both sides can agree, and to reconcile what the United States needs to manage the international diplomatic environment, with the boundaries that Israelis can accept.