AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Hussein Ibish commented on the French initiative hosting Israel-Palestinian talks in The Global Post. Ibish noted that talks are unlikely to move forward without U.S. support: “There are two sides to this problem and the Israeli side is most unlikely to cooperate in allowing a French initiative they do not trust to create a new peace-making forum, let alone paradigm. Moreover, the United States … seems to want to preserve the old triangular model in which it is the main third party, even though that model is completely stuck. So the obstacles seem too great to me.”

In an article for Middle East Eye, Ibish commented on the issue of Arab states purchasing influence in Washington, citing its inefficacy: “White House talk about Arab-occupied territory on Massachusetts Avenue or K Street is ironic because, whatever their total investment may be, the U.S.’s Gulf Arab partners certainly haven’t been getting their way regarding American policies in recent years.”