There is no single magic formula for moving forward. While there is already a longstanding and broadly-based consensus on most of the elements of a permanent status agreement, it is clear that, on their own, Israelis and Palestinians cannot get to an agreement. The difficult compromises that will be demanded from both sides necessitate U.S. leadership to bring the sides together and help them to come to agreement.

To achieve this, the President must lead with conviction. Whether one is talking about a new effort to launch Israeli-Palestinian negotiations or about more dramatic steps, the success or failure of any U.S. policy will lie first and foremost in the ability of the U.S. to get the parties to take the effort seriously. Such U.S. leadership is vital: there is no option of putting peace efforts on hold, awaiting more propitious circumstances. There is no "managing" a conflict that, with each new development on the ground, has the potential to inflame the region and beyond.

Likewise, the two-state solution - the only viable solution to this conflict and a solution that is vital both to Israel's survival and to U.S. national security interests - won't survive indefinitely. The absence of a credible peace process leaves the door open to violence, emboldening both those who advocate unilateral action and those who support the use of force over negotiations. As importantly, it permits developments on the ground - like settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem - that are antithetical to the two-state solution.

APN urges President Obama to work resolutely to achieve Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab peace agreements. APN also urges Members of Congress to abstain from actions that undermine efforts to achieve peace and reject legislative initiatives - letters, resolutions, etc. - that send a message that Americans do not support Israeli-Palestinian peace and the two-state solution or that unhelpfully heap blame on only one side.

(Feb. 2011)