From “Israel, Palestinians to Present Proposals on Key Issues” (October 26, 2011)

Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to submit proposals on territory and security to international mediators who are trying to re-start direct peace talks.

A spokesman for the Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators announced the agreement on Wednesday after the group held separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian representatives in Jerusalem.

The spokesman says the two sides have agreed to hold regular meetings with Quartet negotiators for the next 90 days.

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- Voice of America News

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From “New Security Council Members Likely to Vote Against Palestinian UN Membership, Diplomats Say” (October 23, 2011)

The new composition of the UN Security Council after the election Friday of temporary members to the body will be friendlier to the United States and less inclined to vote for Palestinian inclusion in the council, diplomatic officials and news analysts in New York have said.

Pakistan, Morocco, Togo and Guatemala were elected to the body in a secret ballot; a second vote early this week will give the fifth place to either Azerbaijan or Slovenia, neither of which garnered the necessary majority on Friday to win in the first round.

Guatemala, which replaces Brazil on the council, is considered more amenable to U.S. influence than that country. Morocco, too, is expected to show understanding for the U.S. despite being an Arab League member.

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- Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz

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From “UNSC May Vote on Palestinian Statehood in Early November” (October 19, 2011)

The Palestinian quest for UN membership is likely to come to a head on or around Nov. 11, when Security Council ambassadors plan a final meeting to decide their response, diplomats said on Wednesday.

The date represents a delay in dealing with the Palestinian application, submitted by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sept. 23, amid hopes that indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks scheduled for next week could get a peace process off the ground.

The Nov. 11 meeting could result in a vote by the divided council, diplomats said. The United States, which supports its ally Israel in strongly opposing the membership bid, is considered certain to veto it but the Palestinians may seek a vote anyway if they can show majority support in the council.

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- Reuters and The Jerusalem Post

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From “What Factors Are Really Behind the Statehood Bid?” (October 4, 2011)

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So if Israel has consistently proven its willingness to negotiate to achieve a just peace with its neighbors, why is Abbas unilaterally approaching the U.N.? If the state he is asking for contains a half million people his organization said cannot live therein, why does he refuse to negotiate with Israel to draw a viable border? And if the Palestinian Authority is serious about creating two states for two peoples, why does it refuse to accept Israel as the Jewish state?

Because Abbas’s statehood bid is a charade. Because it is a cynical attempt to draw attention away from the Palestinian Authority’s unwillingness to compromise and to work with Israel to find a permanent solution to this conflict. Because as Abbas reminds us time and again, he considers the occupation to be as old as the state of Israel, meaning that to the Palestinian Authority, Tel Aviv is as much a settlement as Ariel. If the Palestinian Authority were serious about making peace, there would be no reason for the current bid at the U.N.

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- Jacob Lewis, Op/Ed in UC Berkeley’s The Daily Californian

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From “Stand with Israel and Vote NO!” (October 4, 2011)

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There is no conceivable way for Israel to engage in peace talks with an organization that has factions , like Hamas, committed to Israel’s destruction. Associating with an organization like Hamas’ clearly demonstrates Abbas’ disregard for the peace process and naïve way of thinking.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel supports peace and a commitment to the Oslo Accords, which state that both parties agree that the “Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be solved through direct negotiations between the two parties.”

Abbas is violating the Oslo Accords by attempting to circumvent Israel and not engage in direct negotiations.

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- Connor Caudill, Op/Ed in the Indiana Daily Student

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From “Interview: Executive Director of the American Task Force for Palestine Discusses the Palestinian UN Bid” (September 28, 2011)

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Bikya Masr: You have argued that a key to your work is “mutual respect and civilized discussion” and have engaged with many pro-Israel scholars such as David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and advocates from pro-Israel groups like AIPAC—a strategy that has been criticized by many Palestinians. Do you believe this type of dialogue is necessary between regular Israelis and Palestinians, who have become more separated in recent years and, if so, how should it be brought about?

Al-Omari: Yes, a dialogue is absolutely necessary. The absence [of a dialogue] has been one of the saddest and most destructive legacies of the violence of the past eight years. A dialogue must focus on mutual interests, such as the economy. In the economic sector, a dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians exists and it is not an abstract dialogue. It is important to find the intersection of interests and create a dialogue around these areas.

- Ryan Doherty, Bikya Masr

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From “Veering Off the Path to Peace” (September 23, 2011)

On Sept. 9, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stated that Palestinian statehood is “long overdue.” We, as advocates for Israel, could not agree more. Indeed, it is in the best interest of Israel that a two-state solution guaranteeing peace for Israelis and Palestinians is achieved. However, by appealing to the U.N. today through a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is not bringing the prospect of a just and lasting peace closer to reality. Instead, the UDI will impede the peace process, making future negotiations less likely to succeed. Worse yet, it could lead to disastrous consequences for Palestinians and Israelis alike, jeopardizing the creation of a Palestinian state.

For the Palestinians to acquire full status as a U.N. member state, the U.N. Security Council, of which the United States is a permanent member, must vote in favor of the UDI. The Obama administration with near unanimous support from Congress has made clear its intention to veto the UDI, as it undermines U.S.-mediated peace efforts. If the UDI is vetoed, Abbas will likely appeal to the U.N. General Assembly, where a vote is expected to pass. Yet without the backing of the Security Council, this vote will not bring the Palestinians closer to true statehood or peace. While the resolution would be merely symbolic, the anticipated ramifications are real and dire.

The passing of the UDI at the General Assembly will add to a long list of hollow victories for the Palestinian people. Without seeking Israeli cooperation, Palestinians will find no substantial improvements on the ground on the days following the vote. The frustration that will build up as a result could be exploited by Hamas, the terrorist group ruling Gaza. International leaders fear an escalation in violence, which could further divide Israelis and Palestinians.

- Op/Ed by Yotam Arens and Eli Shaubi in The Cornell Daily Sun

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From “Why Do Human Rights Groups Ignore Palestinians’ War of Words?” (September 27, 2011)

Two dominant forces have defined Arab nations in modern times: autocratic leadership that has denied basic freedoms to its own people, and a deeply ingrained and institutionalized anti-Semitism, centered on a hatred of Israel. Freedom is a growing possibility in light of the Arab Spring, but for this freedom to lead to peace, progress must be made in ending hate speech and incitement to genocide. This is particularly true in Gaza, the West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran. Yet at this moment of possibility, the United Nations is fueling discord and anti-Semitism.

The United Nations is doing this by granting legitimacy to Hamas, a terrorist Islamic group, and the Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas. A vote to add to the United Nations a new member state that calls for the elimination of its neighbor and glorifies terrorism will make peace harder — not easier — to achieve. While Hamas’s calls for genocide most certainly should be condemned, those who would accept the position Abbas has taken, even as recently as Friday, when he submitted to the United Nations an application for statehood, should be aware of the work of Palestinian Media Watch. The group, an Israeli research institute focused on monitoring the messages of all aspects of Palestinian media, has detailed some of the deception of the Palestinian Authority, even during moments of peace talks. For example, while portraying himself to the West as a man of compromise, Abbas said flatly last October that “we refuse to recognize a Jewish state.”

- Op/Ed in The Washington Post by Robert L. Bernstein, chairman of Advancing Human Rights and founding chairman emeritus of Human Rights Watch

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From “White House Briefs Jews on Quartet” (September 25, 2011)

Top White House officials briefed Jewish community leaders about a Quartet statement urging Israelis and Palestinians to return to talks with no preconditions, a key Israeli demand.

“The Quartet reiterated its urgent appeal to the parties to overcome the current obstacles and resume direct bilateral Israeli-Palestinian negotiations without delay or preconditions,” said a statement released Friday evening by the grouping of the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union that guides Middle East peace talks.

Officials, including Dennis Ross, President Obama’s top Middle East adviser, pitched the statement to the Jewish listeners as a major accomplishment in Israel’s favor.

- JTA

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From “After Palestinian Statehood Bid, Where Do Mideast Talks Stand?” (September 23, 2011)

After the Palestinian bid for statehood at the U.N., the U.S., European Union, Russia and the U.N., have urged a return to direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations within a month. Ray Suarez discusses where the peace process stands with David Makovsky and Ghaith Al-Omari.

- PBS NewsHour

Watch the video, read the transcript, or download an MP3 of the discussion.