February 12, 2021
As the Biden administration takes shape it is becoming increasing clear, through the president’s appointments to the State Department, White House staff and other federal bodies dealing with Middle East policy formulation, that he sees U.S. re-engagement with the Palestinians as a high priority.
The terms of that re-engagement could be beneficial in advancing the peace process by fostering a resumption of bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on the basis of the new realty in the Arab/Israeli relationship.
However, the terms of re-engagement could set back the peace process if those terms encourage the Palestinians to continue to fantasize that Israel will return to the pre-1967 borders; and that Israel will agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state to be used as a launching pad for terrorism and aggression against the Jewish state as has happened in Gaza.