David Makovsky, an expert on Middle East diplomacy, says Israel’s Prime Minister reacted positively to the recent Riyadh Arab League declaration and is interested in negotiating with Saudi Arabia.

A Palestinian unity government has renewed hopes for the Mideast peace process, though many experts remain pessimistic.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) has issued a report on how to engage Hamas after the agreement with Fatah in Saudi Arabia (PDF).

Former ambassador Martin S. Indyk says Secretary Rice’s decision to mediate between the Israelis and Palestinians marks a major change in the Bush administration’s approach to the Middle East.

Secretary Rice agrees to wait and see if a new Palestinian unity government can meet international conditions for further talks, including recognition of Israel's right to exist.

Robert Malley, an expert on Middle East policy, says the recent agreement between Fatah and Hamas should be encouraged as the best way to bring about an agreement with Israel.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s latest round of Mideast diplomacy hopes to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Yet little evidence exists to support the idea that either party to the conflict currently shares that hope.

The Washington Institute's Terrorism Studies Program has produced this guide to the Palestinian Legislative Council, with biographical information and other data on all PLC members, including Hamas legislators elected in January 2006.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this week invited Palestinian leaders to return to the bargaining table. But he and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may lack the necessary political capital to change the current tenor of Israeli-Palestinian relations.

Henry Siegman, a leading expert on Israeli-Palestinian affairs, says Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s recent speech reflected a “surprisingly radical change in tone,” but in substance “it’s quite true there was very little new.”

The Palestinian Authority is about to get a new government. The move could spell good news for the region, and might just strengthen Washington’s quest to build a coalition to contain Iranian designs.   

This report from Human Rights Watch is based on field research conducted in the West Bank and Gaza in November 2005 and early 2006 and documents dozens of cases of violence against Palestinian women and girls.

Violent clashes between rival groups appear to have derailed Palestinian unity talks and could escalate into civil war. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice—in the region to appeal for moderation—has gained little traction.  

A joint poll by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah examines Israelis’ and Palestinians’ attitudes on the conflict in the aftermath of the second war in Lebanon. It tracks both publics’ attitudes regarding the resumption of a political process and their assessments of the impact of the war on the propensity for further violence in the Israeli-Palestinian arena.

Khalil Shikaki, a leading Palestinian political expert, says recent polling among Palestinians shows most support Hamas’ refusal to recognize Israel in advance of negotiations, but a great majority indicate they would back a peace agreement setting up a two-state situation.

Talks aimed at forming a Palestinian national unity government remain stuck on the issue of recognizing Israel, though both sides say they intend to continue trying for an accord this week.

Rashid Khalidi, an expert on Palestinian politics, says the announcement that Fatah and Hamas factions have agreed on a unity government could help end the economic crisis in the Palestinian areas and lead to serious political talks about an end to the conflict.