"'Saeb Erekat has been the central figure in Palestinian negotiations with Israel, or in decisions to stay out of such negotiations, for over two decades,' said Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel. 'Outside of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas himself, there is no one who has had such influence on these decisions...'" Read the full article here: Full Article
"If indeed the relationship between the United States and China in the years to come will be defined as a new era of great power competition, it creates a range of hard choices for U.S. partners. In the Middle East, the United States has no closer partner than Israel, and it will not be spared these dilemmas..." Read the full article here: Full Article
"Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, said the United States has been promoting maritime border talks between the sides as far back as 2012, viewing it as low-hanging diplomatic fruit. "'This is a win-win, if you can get the deal. Both sides can do the exploration. Both sides can get the revenue that it would produce. How you split the baby is a technical matter and not really that difficult. The political hurdle was Hezbollah not being prepared to [...]
"'We were already in a period, because of the election, that the country’s attention was so focused inward,' said Dan Shapiro, who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel in the Obama administration. 'Now you compound that with a president being less than fully healthy, even in some scenarios incapacitated, and you realize that the health of the president’s safety is a national security issue...'” Read the full article here: Full Article
"...The message is that we are obligated to use our time on this earth wisely, to fix what is broken, to care for others, to renew ourselves and to renew our world. "If anyone lived a life that could teach us the same lesson, it was Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She understood the obligation to use her time to good effect. She spoke movingly of the Jewish values she was raised with — the pursuit of justice, caring for those in need, [...]
"Daniel Shapiro, who served as President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Israel, said that had been true from the start of Mr. Trump’s presidency. 'He’s been trying every day for four years to turn Israel into a wedge issue with American Jewish voters, and he can’t even move it out of the margin of error,' Mr. Shapiro said. 'The votes are set...'" Read the full article here: Full Article
"Some observers seem to assume that the recent agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates means the end of efforts to achieve a reasonable, two-state outcome to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Some Israelis may hope that improving relations with Arab states would obviate the need for further negotiations with the Palestinians..." Read the full article here: Full Article
“When the United Arab Emirates’ Ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, decided to publish an op-ed in Hebrew in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot in mid-June, his intent was to influence the Israeli debate on West Bank annexation. "The op-ed hit its mark. Al-Otaiba’s unprecedented, unmediated address got Israelis’ attention and dominated political conversations for days. But he did more than that. He also opened the door to a major step forward in breaking down barriers in Israeli-Arab ties, realized [...]
“During the administration of President George W. Bush, Israeli officials visiting Washington would hold secret hotel room meetings with the UAE’s influential ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, according to Dan Shapiro, who would later become a U.S. ambassador to Israel. Shapiro served on President Barack Obama’s National Security Council and said the White House at that time was kept informed of the meetings. "In early 2010, the contacts came to halt when the UAE accused Israel of assassinating Mahmoud [...]
"Obama’s US ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro acknowledged that concerns about the language were not 'addressed to the full satisfaction of all parties.' Still, he said, the document made 'significant and overdue strides while sustaining the unity of our party.' "'The platform makes clear our opposition to unilateral steps by either side to undermine prospects for peace,' he argued. 'For the first time, we say clearly…. our opposition to Israeli settlement expansion. For the first time, we state clearly and by [...]