Advance Negotiation on Two States

Advance Negotiation on Two States

Under the best of circumstances, successful implementation of Tracks 1 through 3 is likely to span two to three years.

The governing logic of this plan is that improved conditions on the ground and narrowed political differences, coupled with religious peacebuilding, acknowledgement of narratives, some form of Palestinian reconciliation and leverage generated by normalization agreements between Arab states and Israel, will set the stage for the United States to advance formal bilateral negotiations to achieve a two-state outcome.

In an atmosphere of enhanced trust and hope, and with the involvement of regional allies, the United States should design a mediating mechanism that considers the following questions:

  1.  Under what conditions should the United States develop and/or present parameters to the parties?
  2.  Should the aim be a complete, comprehensive end-of-conflict agreement; a gradual, incremental, open-ended agreement; or a multi-step ‘deposit’ process?
  3.  What role, if any, should regional actors play in the formal negotiation process?
  4.  Should further normalization with additional Arab and Muslim countries be specifically included in the negotiation framework?
  5.  What role, if any, should religious authorities play in the formal negotiation process?