US / Middle East Project

Critical analyses of u.s./middle East policy towards conflict de-escalation and resolution in the region the u.s./middle East Project (usmep) continued to hold both in-person and virtual briefings and brain-storming sessions during this period. Participants in these sessions include usmep board members and senior advisors as well as other relevant stakeholders including by leading government officials and Middle East experts from various institutions in the u.sUs.s. and beyond. The purpose of these meetings is to review u.s.-middle East policy and that of other actors and options for mitigating or advancing resolutions of crises and conflicts in each of the major areas of interest in the region, notably working to resolve the israeli/palestinian conflict, as well as issues related to afghanistan, yemen, iran, iraq, syria, lebanon, the gulf and egypt. Some of those meetings are listed below: "on january 11, 2023, the usmep organized an online convening to discuss israel's new governing coalition. This session was attended by many of the usmep senior advisors and members of the international board. Areas of discussion included: -guidelines and areas of responsibility in the new israeli government; -initial coalition actions on the palestinian front; -judicial reform and override legislation; -gauging palestinian and u.sUs.s. administration responses. Attendees included: shlomo ben-ami, vice president and co-founder, toledo international center for peace seth anziska, usmep visiting fellow; mohamed s. farsi-polonsky lecturer in jewish-muslim relations at university college london sawsan asfari, usmep board member; co-founder and trustee, asfari foundation; executive director, galilee foundation chuck hagel, former u.sUs.s. secretary of defense efraim halevy, chairman, israel national center for jewish history mustafa hamarneh, president, economic and social council of jordan jerry hirsch, founder and chairman of the lodestar foundation daniel levy, president of the u.s./middle East Project frank lowenstein, former u.sUs.s. special envoy for Middle East peace anne patterson, former assistant secretary for the Middle East and north africa thomas r. pickering, senior counselor, albright stonebridge group mark sedwill, former uk national security advisor henry siegman, president emeritus, u.sUs.s. /Middle East Project "on february 6&7, 2023, the usmep organized an in-person convening in london with usmep board members and senior advisors. Attendees included: hanan ashrawi, former member, p.l.o. Executive committee (attended virtually) shlomo ben-ami, vice president and co-founder, toledo international center for peace seth anziska, usmep visiting fellow; mohamed s. farsi-polonsky lecturer in jewish-muslim relations at university college london sawsan asfari, usmep board member; co-founder and trustee, asfari foundation; executive director, galilee foundation efraim halevy, chairman, israel national center for jewish history mustafa hamarneh, president, economic and social council of jordan jerry hirsch, founder and chairman of the lodestar foundation daniel levy, president of the u.s./middle East Project frank lowenstein, former u.sUs.s. special envoy for Middle East peace anne patterson, former assistant secretary for the Middle East and north africa thomas r. pickering, senior counselor, albright stonebridge group henry siegman, president emeritus, u.sUs.s. /Middle East Project (attended virtually)

Futures Project the futures Project which commenced in 2018 with a round of workshops convened by the usmep at stoke park in buckinghamshire, entitled "moving beyond existing paradigms on israel/palestine," has continued its work. The usmep serves in an oversight, coordinating and guiding capacity for the overall Project. The Project focuses on reshaping the policy and strategy frameworks through which the israeli-palestinian issue is thought. This shifting of the parameters is vital in the context of an israeli-palestinian problem that has become stuck, in a region that is turbulent with geo-political changes and shifting power-balances. The risks range from violent wars, popular explosions, destructive cyber operations, human rights violations and a political quagmire in which both the proposed solution (land-for-peace and a two-state-solution) and the means for achieving it (negotiations), become so politically discredited, popularly rejected, and physically unworkable, that chronic and perpetual conflict has become entrenched and embedded. In addition to online convenings during the year, the stoke park synchronization track group met in person in stockholm, sweden in october 19-21, 2022. Twenty participants were in attendance from the region and beyond. The meeting was entitled "moving beyond existing paradigms to advance peace and mutually sustainable rights for israelis and palestinians." As with previous meetings, there was no structured agenda, but rather a less prescriptive and more fluid outline. Instead of formal presentations, the fluid agenda facilitated discussions within the group enabling members to be engaged and to grapple with ideas that emerged over the course of the 3 -day meeting. The meeting took place in stockholm, sweden at the rosersberg slott facility and was co-facilitated by the folke bernadotte academy (fba).

Policy notes, publications and major interventions throughout the year, the u.s./middle East Project's leadership, visiting fellows and senior advisors, produced a number of private policy notes as well as publicly published opinion pieces, articles and books and engaged in various media appearances. A selection is listed below: on august 5, 2022, at the invitation of the china presidency at the un security council, daniel levy, president of the usmep, briefed the security council, during their regular israel/palestine session with all 15 member states, alongside tor wennesland, special coordinator for the Middle East peace process and philippe lazzarini, commissioner-general of unrwa. The session was entitled, "the situation in the Middle East, including the palestinian question." The video of mr. levy's intervention can be viewed here at: https://youtu.be/rdvfcce1xmu on january 25, 2023, daniel levy, president of the usmep, was invited to brussels to present a study he co-authored and which was commissioned by the european parliament's policy department for external policies looking at "prospects of reinvigorating the Middle East peace process: a possible joint eu-us undertaking". That study was presented to the european parliament's committee on foreign affairs (afet) on january 25. That report can be viewed here: httpswwweuroparleuropaeuthinktank... on july 5, 2022 the usmep and the international crisis group issued a joint policy brief as part of their ongoing collaboration entitled, "israel's governing coalition crashes, setting stage for new elections", httpsusmepusmediafilerpublic933e9... 0e619246d5c0israelpalestineqanda0... on november 8, 2022, the usmep and the international crisis group issued a joint policy brief entitled "israel's winning coalition: culmination of a long rightward shift", httpsusmepusmediafilerpublic8b5f8... 7a454ff7a6053b532e188a53israelele... on january 17, 2023 the usmep and the international crisis group issued a joint policy brief authored by mairav zonszein, a crisis group senior analyst, as part of their ongoing collaboration entitled, "what's at stake at the jerusalem's holy esplanade?" Httpsusmepusmediafilerpublicee20e... c84984a40b9aqandaholyesplanade17i... daniel levy, president of the usmep, authored a piece in responsible statecraft entitled, "the follies of biden's upcoming Middle East trip," july 13, 2022. Httpsresponsiblestatecraftorg2022... solidifypalestinianexclusionofeme... on november 2, 2022, daniel levy, president of the usmep, was interviewed in vox by jonathan guyer on the subject of "netanyahu and the far right have triumphed. Here's what it means for israel." That interview can be found here: httpswwwvoxcom202211223437462isra... benjaminnetanyahucoalitionexplained on february 19, 2023, lord mark sedwill, usmep senior advisor, was invited to write a guest opinion piece in the economist on the year of fighting in ukraine. Lord sedwill is a former uk national-security adviser. Httpswwweconomistcombyinvitation2... of-fighting-in-ukraine thomas pickering, chair of the usmep, authored a piece in foreign affairs entitled, "how to prepare for peace talks in ukraine," march 14, 2023. Httpswwwforeignaffairscomunitedst... ukraine daniel levy, president of the usmep, authored a piece in the Middle East eye entitled, "liberal israelis and the Us empowered the settler right. Now it's out of control," march 20, 2023. The article was published in arabic and spanish as well. Daniel levy, president of the usmep, coauthored a piece in the irish times with zaha hassan entitled, "ireland can help palestinians and israelis by being a more robust voice in europe," may 22, 2023. Httpswwwirishtimescomopinion20230... palestiniansandisraelisbybeingamo...