2013 Briefing Book - Print Version - Aipac

PEACE PROCESS
The Peace Process—Key Principles
MAINTAIN CLOSE U.S.-ISRAELI COORDINATION: The United States should support
and work closely with Israel as it charts the course for peace.
PRESS FOR DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS: The United States should press the Palestinians
to enter high-level, direct talks without preconditions.
RESIST DISTRACTIONS: The United States should continue to oppose Palestinian
efforts to bypass direct negotiations by turning to the United Nations or other
parties that would delay actual progress toward peace.
REJECT IMPOSED SOLUTIONS: America must recognize that no outside party can
impose a durable Israeli-Palestinian agreement. Instead, the United States must
assist Israelis and Palestinians in negotiating a peace agreement in which they will
be invested.
ISOLATE EXTREMISTS: The United States should exclude extremists from
negotiations until they demonstrate a willingness to live in peace. America should
continue to isolate Hamas until it meets the three conditions—recognize Israel,
renounce violence and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements—issued by
the diplomatic Quartet responsible for mediating the Middle East peace process
(the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union).
RECOGNIZE THAT ISRAEL IS A DURABLE ALLY: America should continue to
emphasize that the U.S.-Israel relationship rests on shared values and interests
that transcend the fluctuating status of negotiations.
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