Institute For Middle East Understanding

The nine-month window for US-brokered negotiations between Israel and the PLO has expired and the two sides are no closer to reaching an agreement. This past Friday, a frustrated Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly said at a private meeting that if Israel doesn’t make peace soon, it could become “an apartheid state” like the old South Africa.During this briefing we will discuss how we arrived at this point and what comes next with Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, a member of the PLO’s Central Council who played a leading role in the PLO-Hamas reconciliation deal brokered last week. Dr. Barghouthi will offer an insider’s perspective on negotiations as well as a look at the Palestinian national strategy going forward.