AP Photo
July 29, 2009
"Obama's Jaha to Israel"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
The Obama jaha of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell, National Security Adviser James Jones and White House senior adviser Dennis Ross aims simultaneously to impress, comfort, pressure and woo the Israeli government to accept the terms of engagement in the Arab-Israeli peace-making process that the United States has unilaterally put on the table.
AP Photo
June 17, 2009
"Nothing New from Netanyahu"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
Netanyahu wants for the Israelis today what God promised the ancient Hebrews in Deuteronomy, Exodus and Numbers: eternal, exclusive, pure, powerful, secure statehood in a land owned by others that will be miraculously ethnically cleansed with Divine mandate and legitimacy.
AP Photo
June 15, 2009
"What Comes Around Goes Around"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
Changes in American policies and rhetoric are already triggering intriguing responses from different parts of the Middle East, as we can see in four separate issues: Lebanon, Palestine-Israel, Iran, and American attitudes toward Islam and Muslims.
AP Photo
June 3, 2009
"Obama Should Think Chicago"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
Obama should focus on three significant issues: 1- the Arab-Israeli conflict, 2- the "resistance front" headed by Syria, Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas, and 3- the lack of democratic, rule-of-law-based governance systems in most Arab countries. And he should tell us what America wants to do about these three issues.
AP Photo
June 1, 2009
"The Significance of the Settlements"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
The Obama administration has put steel into American insistence that illegal Israeli settlements must be halted. It is the important kick start to progress towards peace making.
AP Photo
May 13, 2009
"Peacemaking Needs Two Sides"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
"The Arab world is once again correctly expressing its sincerity in negotiating a comprehensive peace agreement with Israel. But it should not repeat the mistakes of the past -- making continuous concessions before getting back concessions in return."
May 6, 2009
"The Fruits of Peace and the Obama Blender"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
It is not clear how the Obama administration will address its strong ally, Israel -- nor how the greater Arab world will support US facilitation of a Middle East peace agreement. But the basic approach stops the settlements and the violence.
AP Photo
April 27, 2009
"Deceptive Calm in Gaza"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
Though Gaza appears quiet on the surface, the Palestinians are not passively watching their own dehumanization on television. And the International Crisis Group (ICG) reports that only quick action can avert another conflict.
April 20, 2009
"American-Israeli Moment of Reckoning?"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
The moment of reckoning in US-Israeli relations is approaching due to two related developments: the hardline position of the new Israeli government, and the linkages between progress in US-Iranian relations and progress in Arab-Israeli peace-making.
AP Photo
April 6, 2009
"Colonial Values Rule Again in Palestine"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
Colonialism is all about one law for white men, and a different, harsher set of rules for the native darker people. Such is the negotiating reality for Palestinians with Israel and the West.
