Us involvement in the israeli-palestinian conflict: Solution or problem?

Despite the active involvement of the United States as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it has shown no sign of permanent cessation for more than sixty years. The purpose of this article is to assess the effectiveness of the US role as a mediator in the conflict. This article is also aimed at identifying possible alternatives to the exclusively US-led mediation attempts. The article starts with a discussion on the involvement of the US as a mediator and its attempts to provide solutions for this intractable conflict. It further argues that the closer relations maintained by the US and Israel have stood as an obstacle on the pursuit of peace and the achievement of a sustainable conflict resolution. The discussion also covers how US Middle East policies under the Donald Trump administration, such as the relocation of the US Embassy for Israel to Jerusalem, have worsened the situation. In its last part, this article attempts to suggest possible candidates for an alternative mediating party such as the Arab Quartet (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates). It concludes that the US has been unable to act as an honest broker to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute so long as it maintains its special relationship with Israel. However, the article also acknowledges the fact that only the US has held the material capacity required to force the belligerents to come together at the negotiation table. Therefore, an optimal yet realistic solution would require the involvement of other states in addition to the US to solve the conflict.