By Gabrielle Pfafflin
Officials from the Middle East Policy Council discussed the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations and the United States’ role in establishing cooperation within the conflict on Monday.
Due to constent talk breakdowns between Palestinian and Israeli leaders, the panelists concurred that peace in the Middle East remains distant. The conflict spells possible misfortune for U.S. as well, if U.S. diplomats do not push Israel to make the hard decisions regarding Palestinians.
According to a Zogby poll that was conducted by Professor Shibley Telhami, from the University of Maryland at College Park, many residents in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates are disappointed with America’s foreign policy regarding Palestine.
Another hinderance to Israeli-Palestinian peace is a shift in the conflict from political reasoning to religious and ethnic logic, according to Scott Lasensky, a researcher for the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention.
He cited a new law passed July 11 by the Israeli Parliament which makes it illegal to boycott Israeli products or the country itself.
Hussein Ibish, from the American Task Force on Palestine, said that as Israel leans further to the right, peace talks will only become more strained and less successful.