The man who had the Israel-Palestine archive in the state department, Hady Amr, is not working on a comprehensive plan for peace, but on gradual measures to improve the situation on the ground, several Israeli, Palestinian and American sources tell me.
Why it’s important: U.S. presidents have held office for decades in hopes of reaching a historic peace deal. President Biden does not see it as feasible in the current circumstances.
- With Israel-Palestine below the list of priorities in the White House, the issue will be dealt with primarily by the State Department, where Amr serves as deputy secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs (unlike Barack Obama, Biden declined to appoint a special envoy for Peace in the Middle East).
- Secretary of State Tony Blinken has made it clear that he does not expect a Nobel Peace Prize. Instead, Amr has been tasked with generating bottom-up trust.
- Based on my conversations with a dozen current and former Israeli, Palestinian, and American officials, Amr seems to be the embodiment of this more pragmatic approach.
Amr was the “bottom-up” boy during his four years of dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian issue during the Obama administration.
- He worked closely with the Israelis to advance projects such as 3G networks for Gaza or sewer systems in the West Bank.
- During the 2014 Gaza war, Amr worked 24 hours a day to redistribute all U.S. assistance to Palestinians in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
- Amr fell back on implementing policies agreed at the highest level, often between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Secretary of State John Kerry, in a very difficult political environment.
The background story: Amr was born in Beirut in 1967 and grew up primarily in New Jersey and Virginia.
- An economist and foreign policy expert, he joined the Department of Defense during the Clinton administration, spent time in the private sector and then joined the Brookings Institution in 2006, founding its Doha center.
- Amr returned to government during the Obama administration, first in the Department of Homeland Security and then as an adjunct deputy administrator for the Middle East at the United States Agency for International Development.
- In 2013, he was sent by Middle East peace envoy Martin Indyk, also a former Amr chief in Brookings, to work on Palestinian-related economic issues. Amr remained until the end of Obama’s second term.
- He was a foreign policy adviser to the Biden campaign and participated in its dissemination to the Arab-American community.
What they say: General Yoav (Poli) Mordechai, a former Israeli government coordinator in the West Bank and Gaza, says he found Amr to be a knowledgeable professional who did not engage in political arguments but wanted to get things done.
- Israeli Deputy National Security Adviser Reuven Azar, who was a close interlocutor of Amr while serving at the Israeli embassy in Washington, found him pragmatic, humane and focused on improving the living conditions of Palestinians, according to a source familiar with her thinking.
- An Israeli official who has spoken to Amr since his appointment describes him as smart with a very sober view of what can be achieved at this time.
The other side: Palestinian officials tell me that so far they have been impressed with Amr according to their commitments.
- “We would always joke that the new American envoy never knew the difference between Sheikh Jarrah and Kafr ‘Aqab [two neighborhoods in East Jerusalem]said a Palestinian official.
- “He knows it. We haven’t talked to Americans in years and finally there’s someone listening.”
The state of play: Amr is developing plans to re-engage with the Palestinian Authority, reclaim some of Trump’s policies, and resume financial aid to the Palestinians, probably starting with $ 75 million already allocated by Congress for aid and development projects.
- These issues are at the top of his to-do list until the March 23 Israeli election.
- Amr will face two short-term political challenges: re-establishing U.S. policy on West Bank settlements without provoking a fight with the Israeli government, and drafting a policy on the May 22 Palestinian parliamentary elections.
- He has already held calls with officials on both sides, including the Israeli ambassador to Washington, the Israeli deputy national security adviser, the Palestinian prime minister and the Palestinian intelligence director.
What follows: Amr’s debut on the world stage will be at the international donor meeting at the Palestinian Authority on February 23 to discuss steps to improve the Palestinian economy. Israelis, Palestinians and members of the international community will be watching closely.
It is necessary to emphasize: Due to unusual circumstances, Amr wears at least two hats beyond his role as deputy secretary.
- Without a special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Amr will represent the US in formats such as the Quartet, which includes diplomats from Russia, the UN and the EU. This group met Monday on Zoom.
- Amr is also the de facto head of the U.S. mission to the Palestinians because the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem was merged by the Trump administration with the embassy in Israel in 2019.
- Palestinians left almost all communications with U.S. diplomats at the embassy at the time, so Amr will be the key point of contact for Palestinians hoping to communicate with the administration.
Former and current American officials praise Amr’s knowledge of the technique and ability to move forward on difficult issues, and they say he was a mentor to the young foreign service officers who worked with him on the Israeli-Palestinian file.
- Indyk, the former head of Amr, tells me that he is “the right person for these times because he knows the mechanics, concerns and sensibilities of both parties and his job is to improve the situation and that is based on the ‘experience you have “.
The summary: Amr has a much lower profile than others who have occupied this portfolio, most recently Jared Kushner. But this fits in with the more modest goals of the Biden administration.