Ending the Occupation, Enhancing Israel’s Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty

The status quo is untenable. It jeopardizes the prospect of ending Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory and retards the establishment of a strategically secure Israel. It also prevents the creation of a sovereign and secure Palestinian state, living side by side and at peace with Israel, and endangers progress toward broader regional security and stability.

U.S. leadership is vital because the parties to the conflict are demonstrably incapable of solving the conflict themselves, thus obstructing the achievement of a central objective of U.S. policy. The United States retains the unchallenged instruments of national power to mobilize the parties and the international community to resolve this issue. Having established that a solution represents a vital national security interest of the United States, the failure to realize this objective impairs the United States’ ability to influence important events in the region and beyond. It also undermines trust and diminishes U.S. credibility.

The United States must be prepared to define the parameters of an agreement, particularly as they relate to the core issues of Israeli and Palestinian security and sovereignty, implement them through leadership of a robust third-party mechanism, and achieve a treaty of peace that reflects the requirements of international law, resulting in fulfillment of the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 242 and including recognition of the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the states of Israel and Palestine.