Obama Administration

By Sherine Tadros in Middle East on May 5th, 2010
Photo by AFP

On, off and now on again... well almost.

The so-called “proximity talks” between Israel and the Palestinians have already experienced more ups and downs than the new Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster ride at Disney World.

They’ve also received a lot of criticism from politicians, analysts and almost everyone else who cares enough to still be following this story.

Why? A simple dictionary definition shows how farcical these talks are.

Proximity means “close, near, adjacent, and next to”. These talks, if and when they happen, won’t even see the two sides in the same building, let alone in the same room, or around the same table.

So what is so proximal about them? It’s certainly not their stances.

The term was invented by the Obama administration to describe what they were already doing.

By Nour Odeh in Middle East on March 26th, 2010

Palestinian workers are hard at work, paving the main Ramallah-Birzeit road ... Hot asphalt pouring on the road, fumes spreading their intoxicating effect, in preparation for a smooth, world-class highway. It's all courtesy of US taxpayer dollars. Through the aid agency USAID, the Obama administration is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

This year, USAID plans to spend $153m on infrastructure projects in the West Bank alone. That includes the construction of up 180 kilometres of roads. It's a considerable jump from the $65m the agency spent on similar projects in 2009.

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By Nour Odeh in Middle East on November 17th, 2009

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Palestinians are getting ready for the biggest diplomatic battle of their recent history. This is becoming apparent, in light of the high-tone of political statements exchanged by Palestinian, Israeli, and other officials.

Senior Palestinian officials have announced that they intend to go to the United Nations Security Council and secure a resolution recognizing a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Such a resolution would by no means change the rules of the game or the already accepted terms of a resolution to the conflict, Palestinians argue.

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