U.S. Policy towards Israel/Palestine and Fading Hopes for a Two-State Solution

For nearly a quarter century, the United States has played the contradictory role of chief mediator in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the primary diplomatic, economic, and military supporters of the more powerful of the two parties. During this period, the United States has opposed substantive involvement by the United Nations, insisting that whether and to what extent the occupation should end could come only through the voluntary assent of the occupying power. Now, with the failure of the Trump administration and Congressional leaders to even nominally support a viable two-state solution, what options remain for Israeli-Palestinian peace?

Dr. Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he serves as coordinator of the program in Middle Eastern Studies. Recognized as one the country's leading scholars of U.S. Middle East, Zunes is a prolific author of books and articles for both scholarly and general readership. He has made frequent visits to the Middle East and other conflict regions, where he has met with top government officials, academics, journalists and opposition leaders, serves as a consultant and board member for a number of peace and human rights organizations, and frequently appears in media outlets in both the United States and overseas for his analysis of political development in region. The son of two Duke alumni and a "poorer descendent" of the Duke family, he grew up 7 miles from campus.