Congressional sources said the administration was diverted by the
Egyptian crisis from efforts to establish a Palestinian state in the West
Bank. They said some senior officials in the White House and State
Department, however, wanted the administration to return to focus on the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process as soon as Egypt was deemed as stable.
But Satloff, in an assessment shared by House committee chairwoman Rep.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, asserted that Washington must work with Israel to
adjust to an unstable Middle East. Satloff cited such issues as the Hamas
regime in the Gaza Strip, arms smuggling from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula as
well as counter-insurgency cooperation.
"Working with Israel to address these new concerns should be a top
priority," Satloff said on Feb. 9. "Leaders of both countries should
commence immediate consultations on ways to strengthen the strategic
partnership between these two democratic allies, in substance and in
perception."
Satloff stressed that Washington must continue to support an
Arab-Israeli peace agreement in wake of Mubarak's ouster. He said the
introduction of democratic regimes in the Middle East could change
long-standing opposition to Israel, particularly by the Palestinian
Authority. One option was that Washington help the PA conduct free and fair
elections.
"In this context, the Obama administration should explore whether these
two factors have changed the political calculus on the part of the PA
leadership to the extent that they are now willing to engage in substantive
negotiations," Satloff said. "Ideas that may have been unacceptable to
Palestinians in the past — ranging from Israeli demands for long-term
security presence in the Jordan Valley to incrementalist or partial
arrangements short of a full peace agreement — may today be ready for
negotiation."
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