Print
Email
Share
CiteBreaking the U.S.-Mideast Impasse
Robert M. Danin interviewed by Bernard GwertzmanPresident Obama should make a trip to the region soon to signal a renewed commitment to helping resolve the conflict between Palestine and...
Speaker: Robert M. Danin, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
February 8, 2012
The February 6 Doha Declaration, a unity deal between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah, is indicative of "the changing dynamics in the region," says CFR's Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies Robert M. Danin. Egypt, Fatah's traditional backer, and Syria, Hamas's traditional supporter, were both notably absent from the negotiations while Qatar emerged as a new player and brokered the deal, he says. Alongside the emergence of Qatar, Danin also emphasizes the growing role Jordan has been playing in sponsoring talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Danin cautions that the Qatari unity track and the Jordanian peace track are "going to collide at some point, if not very soon." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is exploring possibilities of returning to the negotiating table with Israel while reconciling with Hamas, an organization implacably opposed to Israel's existence, Danin says. "It's almost impossible to conceive of a way he can have both."
The unity agreement stipulates that President Abbas would serve both as president and as prime minister. This has led to a strong negative reaction "from both elements within Fatah and elements within Hamas," Danin says. The concern on both sides is that President Abbas is "aggregating too much power, just as his predecessor Yasser Arafat did," he adds.
Terms of Use: I understand that I may access this audio and/or video file solely for my personal use. Any other use of the file and its content, including display, distribution, reproduction, or alteration in any form for any purpose, whether commercial, noncommercial, educational, or promotional, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of the copyright owner, the Council on Foreign Relations. For more information, write publications@cfr.org.
Facebook Twitter LinkedInWhat effect would the fall of the Assad regime have on U.S. policy towards Syria?
Reforming U.S. Drone Strike Policies
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.
The biggest threat to America's security and prosperity comes not from abroad but from within, writes CFR President Richard N. Haass in his provocative and important new book. More
Capitalism and Inequality: Why both the left and right get it wrong
General Stanley McChrystal on the U.S. war on terror
The U.S.-Pakistan alliance: Why it should end
subscribe nowPublished by the Council on Foreign Relations since 1922
President Obama should make a trip to the region soon to signal a renewed commitment to helping resolve the conflict between Palestine and...
The Israeli and Palestinian leaders focused on different conflicts in their UN speeches, underscoring the difficult path for Washington in...
Benjamin Netanyahu's agreement with the Kadima Party reflects a public more concerned about economic and social issues than whether to strike...
Robert M. Danin states, "Monday's Fatah-Hamas unity agreement announced in Doha marks the latest in a series of unimplemented accords between...