Today in Washington, D.C., Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meets with President George Bush. Among the topics discussed will be Olmert's "Convergence Plan," for which he is seeking U.S. support. The IMEU asked six prominent analysts what they expected to come out of the Bush-Olmert talks and what role U.S. aid plays in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Commentators Jess Ghannam is Board Member of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UC San Francisco. Laila El-Haddad is a mother and a journalist for Aljazeera.net living in the Gaza Strip. Delinda Hanley is the news editor for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Nadia Hijab is a Senior Fellow at the Washington D.C. based Institute for Palestine Studies. Ghada Karmi is a research fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies. Naseem Tuffaha is a businessman and a member of the national board of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

What do you see coming out of Ehud Olmert's visit to Washington, D.C.?

Jess Ghannam

As we all know, Olmert's visit and outcome are mostly decided on before hand, knowing this, the outcome will be dominated by three issues: 1) promoting and supporting the Kadima/Sharon project to extend the Occupation via unilateral withdrawal of small settlements in the West Bank, isolating Hamas, and squeezing Palestinians economically through cutting off of food and medicine, 2) discussions of future strategic aims and goals in Iraq and Iran with specific military and political outcomes and 3) requests for increases in financial aid and support for the GOI. Reports suggest that Olmert will ask for an additional $10 billion in U.S. aid for the removal of small settlement blocks, security and the completion of the wall.

The main outcome is to formalize the Israeli plan to unilaterally impose an illegal solution on Palestinians that contradicts the Road Map, international consensus and international law. This is a crucial meeting for the Israelis and it will foreshadow future U.S. policy in the Middle East which will be increasingly directed towards isolation of the Palestinians, extension of the Occupation, unilateral decision on boarders and creation of an apartheid environment for Palestinians. The isolation of Hamas will continue to destabilize the West Bank and Gaza and promote a larger project of destabilization in the Arab world.

Laila El-Haddad

Iran and his new "convergence" aka annexation plan are at the top of his list. He wants to officially present the plan to Bush, though not in any detail because in the end it is really irrelevant, as they will go ahead anyway and ignorance is bliss on part of Bush et al. He will want some kind of seal of approval, even if this is implicit. It's possible Bush will also give him the go-ahead for Israeli military action against Iran. Olmert will also be addressing Congress and the House-who will likely approve yet more aid to Israel. What he will get out of it is probably implicit approval for both plans, thus nailing the coffin into any prospect of a just, negotiated settlement, and of course, more money to carry out this death sentence on a Palestinian state.

Delinda Hanley

I expect Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to ask President George W. Bush to help fund Israel's withdrawal of some of its illegal settlements in the West Bank. He will try to capture Bush's approval for his unilateral withdrawal plans. That way, Israel can draw its own borders along its annexation wall instead of the 1967 border. Watch Israel squeeze and starve the West Bank just like it is doing to Gaza today. Watch total chaos ensue. Finally watch Olmert present Bush with "new evidence" that Iran has a nuclear weapon and plans to use it. Years later, after a disastrous war, we'll discover the evidence was made up. Sound familiar? Oh yes, I almost forgot. Bush will call Olmert a great peacekeeper.

Nadia Hijab

Olmert wants to establish some parameters with the Bush Administration: how far can he go in establishing Israel's border within the occupied West Bank without engaging the Palestinians? It will be difficult for the U.S. to clearly support unilateral annexation, and it will be impossible for any Palestinian leader to sign off on a plan that will effectively trisect and truncate the West Bank. Thus, the outcome will be continued conflict. Israel will carry on taking over West Bank land and begin to dismantle settlements beyond its illegal Wall. It will present these moves as evidence of peaceful intent and count on its facts on the ground to change international opinion in its favor over time. No combination of forces - condemnation by other countries, moves towards boycotts and sanctions by international civil society, or Palestinian action - can stop it at this stage, though the balance of power may shift over the medium term in ways that are not fully visible now.

Ghada Karmi

An American acceptance of his "convergence plan." Since this involves the annexation of approximately half of the West Bank, it will mean the definitive end to the two-state solution.

Naseem Tuffaha

I ultimately foresee a "convergence" of Olmert's Convergence Plan and the U.S.-backed "Roadmap". The difference between these plans is in form rather than substance. The U.S. prefers to have the veneer of a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians. Olmert, however, has decided to lift the pretense of a negotiation between two parties since one party holds nearly all the power. Both plans will produce the same outcome and serve the Israeli government's goal to maximize its land conquest of historic Palestine while minimizing the presence of Palestinians. As a confidant to Ariel Sharon, Olmert witnessed first-hand the success Sharon had in influencing Bush through the personal relationship he established. I expect Olmert to use this meeting to establish a foundational relationship with Bush that will lead to bridging the minor process differences in their plans and, if Olmert is successful, additional U.S. funding for his unilateral plan.

What role does U.S. aid play in easing or aggravating the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis?

Jess Ghannam

U.S. aid is the most significant factor in easing and aggravating the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. U.S. aid to Israel, both military and economic, support policies that crush any possibility for peace as this aid is used to promote policies like settlement expansion, military occupation and apartheid walls. Additionally, the denial of U.S. funding of the Hamas government and any institution that works with the government is causing a humanitarian and existential crisis for Palestinians. Palestinian cancer patients are dying because of lack of chemotherapy and there are food and medicine shortages all over Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinian civil employees have not been paid in over three months causing families to live well below the poverty level (and) this is caused by a deliberate U.S. policy of denying funds to the democratically elected government of Palestine. All this foments an ongoing aggravation of the conflict and can only result in a promotion of the tension and destabilization of the region.

Laila El-Haddad

Obviously, blind U.S. aid to Israel only serves to aggravate the conflict. Not only is Israel the largest recipient of U.S. aid in the world, it is also the only country that is not required to report on how it spends any of the money it receives from the U.S., nor to pay back the loans. U.S. direct aid to Israel was nearly $2.6 billion in 2005, with an additional $3 billion provided by way of loan guarantees. It is not known exactly what amount of that money is spent on illegal settlements and their expansion, or on constructing and maintaining the separation barrier. U.S. tax dollars are effectively financing Israeli war crimes.

Delinda Hanley

U.S. aid could ease the conflict between Palestinians and Israel if only we would use it as leverage with both sides. As it is, Israel gets a blank check with no questions asked — no requirements at all. Israel doesn't have to recognize Palestine or stop killing, arresting or starving Palestinians. On the other hand, Palestinians have always had to jump through hoops and what good has it done them? How dare we require Hamas to throw down their one bargaining chip before they even get to the table? How can we starve a people who only want to elect their own leaders and live in freedom in their own land?

Nadia Hijab

U.S. aid - military and political as well as economic - clearly enables Israel to continue its occupation. Domestic pressures on U.S. administrations and their perception of shared interests in the Middle East have stopped the U.S. from using its aid to underpin a peaceful settlement based on Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders. However, when the U.S. means business, then Israel listens, as, for example, when this administration quashed Israel's attempt to sell arms to China. If Bush decides to leave a legacy that includes the resolution of this conflict, then U.S. aid to Israel could come under review.

Ghada Karmi

Giving aid while doing nothing to end Israel's occupation only maintains Palestinian dependency and ensures Palestinian helplessness in the face of Israeli colonization. In that sense, it merely aggravates the conflict.

Naseem Tuffaha

U.S. aid to the Israelis and Palestinians is an extreme case study in how to further aggravate a conflict rather than function as a productive tool for peace and prosperity. In the case of the Israelis, the U.S. chooses to contravene its own laws (U.S. Arms Export Control, U.S. Foreign Assistance Act) by providing military aid to Israel even though Israel's use of American-made weaponry against Palestinian civilians for non-defensive purposes is well-documented.

In fact, the amount of military aid to Israel has increased in the past several years even as it has committed its most egregious human right violations. The complete absence of accountability for Israel emboldens it to act with impunity and continue its illegal policies of conquest and destruction. In the case of the Palestinians, the U.S. is in the process of inflicting widespread pain against the Palestinian population by withholding aid that serves humanitarian purposes. This "aid" consists of money that Israel deftly absolved itself from providing as the occupying power following Oslo in 1993. By then using this humanitarian aid as a tool to carry out what Israeli Senior Advisor Dov Weisglass referred to as sending Palestinians to an "appointment with a dietician," the U.S. will only exacerbate a dire situation and further undermine its credibility in the region.

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Jess Ghannam (top)

What do you see coming out of Ehud Olmert's visit to Washington, D.C.?

As we all know, Olmert's visit and outcome are mostly decided on before hand, knowing this, the outcome will be dominated by three issues: 1) promoting and supporting the Kadima/Sharon project to extend the Occupation via unilateral withdrawal of small settlements in the West Bank, isolating Hamas, and squeezing Palestinians economically through cutting off of food and medicine, 2) discussions of future strategic aims and goals in Iraq and Iran with specific military and political outcomes and 3) requests for increases in financial aid and support for the GOI. Reports suggest that Olmert will ask for an additional $10 billion in U.S. aid for the removal of small settlement blocks, security and the completion of the wall.

The main outcome is to formalize the Israeli plan to unilaterally impose an illegal solution on Palestinians that contradict the Road Map, international consensus and international law. This is a crucial meeting for the Israelis and it will foreshadow future U.S. policy in the Middle East which will be increasingly directed towards isolation of the Palestinians, extension of the Occupation, unilateral decision on boarders and creation of an apartheid environment for Palestinians. The isolation of Hamas will continue to destabilize the West Bank and Gaza and promote a larger project of destabilization in the Arab world.

What role does U.S. aid play in easing or aggravating the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis?

U.S. aid is the most significant factor in easing and aggravating the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. U.S. aid to Israel, both military and economic, support policies that crush any possibility for peace as this aid is used to promote policies like settlement expansion, military occupation and apartheid walls. Additionally, the denial of U.S. funding of the Hamas government and any institution that works with the government is causing a humanitarian and existential crisis for Palestinians. Palestinian cancer patients are dying because of lack of chemotherapy and there are food and medicine shortages all over Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinian civil employees have not been paid in over three months causing families to live well below the poverty level (and) this is caused by a deliberate U.S. policy of denying funds to the democratically elected government of Palestine. All this foments an ongoing aggravation of the conflict and can only result in a promotion of the tension and destabilization of the region.

Laila El-Haddad (top)

What do you see coming out of Ehud Olmert's visit to Washington, D.C.?

Iran and his new "convergence" aka annexation plan are at the top of his list. He wants to officially present the plan to Bush, though not in any detail because in the end it is really irrelevant, as they will go ahead anyway and ignorance is bliss on part of Bush et al. He will want some kind of seal of approval, even if this is implicit. It's possible Bush will also give him the go-ahead for Israeli military action against Iran. Olmert will also be addressing Congress and the House-who will likely approve yet more aid to Israel. What he will get out of it is probably implicit approval for both plans, thus nailing the coffin into any prospect of a just, negotiated settlement, and of course, more money to carry out this death sentence on a Palestinian state.

What role does U.S. aid play in easing or aggravating the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis?

Obviously, blind U.S. aid to Israel only serves to aggravate the conflict. Not only is Israel the largest recipient of U.S. aid in the world, it is also the only country that is not required to report on how it spends any of the money it receives from the U.S., nor to pay back the loans. U.S. direct aid to Israel was nearly $2.6 billion in 2005, with an additional $3 billion provided by way of loan guarantees. It is not known exactly what amount of that money is spent on illegal settlements and their expansion, or on constructing and maintaining the separation barrier. U.S. tax dollars are effectively financing Israeli war crimes.

Delinda Hanley (top)

What do you see coming out of Ehud Olmert's visit to Washington, D.C.?

I expect Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to ask President George W. Bush to help fund Israel's withdrawal of some of its illegal settlements in the West Bank. He will try to capture Bush's approval for his unilateral withdrawal plans. That way, Israel can draw its own borders along its annexation wall instead of the 1967 border. Watch Israel squeeze and starve the West Bank just like it is doing to Gaza today. Watch total chaos ensue. Finally watch Olmert present Bush with "new evidence" that Iran has a nuclear weapon and plans to use it. Years later, after a disastrous war, we'll discover the evidence was made up. Sound familiar? Oh yes, I almost forgot. Bush will call Olmert a great peacekeeper.

What role does U.S. aid play in easing or aggravating the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis?

U.S. aid could ease the conflict between Palestinians and Israel if only we would use it as leverage with both sides. As it is, Israel gets a blank check with no questions asked — no requirements at all. Israel doesn't have to recognize Palestine or stop killing, arresting or starving Palestinians. On the other hand, Palestinians have always had to jump through hoops and what good has it done them? How dare we require Hamas to throw down their one bargaining chip before they even get to the table? How can we starve a people who only want to elect their own leaders and live in freedom in their own land?

Nadia Hijab (top)

What do you see coming out of Ehud Olmert's visit to Washington, D.C.?

Olmert wants to establish some parameters with the Bush Administration: how far can he go in establishing Israel's border within the occupied West Bank without engaging the Palestinians? It will be difficult for the U.S. to clearly support unilateral annexation, and it will be impossible for any Palestinian leader to sign off on a plan that will effectively trisect and truncate the West Bank. Thus, the outcome will be continued conflict. Israel will carry on taking over West Bank land and begin to dismantle settlements beyond its illegal Wall. It will present these moves as evidence of peaceful intent and count on its facts on the ground to change international opinion in its favor over time. No combination of forces - condemnation by other countries, moves towards boycotts and sanctions by international civil society, or Palestinian action - can stop it at this stage, though the balance of power may shift over the medium term in ways that are not fully visible now.

What role does U.S. aid play in easing or aggravating the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis?

U.S. aid - military and political as well as economic - clearly enables Israel to continue its occupation. Domestic pressures on U.S. administrations and their perception of shared interests in the Middle East have stopped the U.S. from using its aid to underpin a peaceful settlement based on Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders. However, when the U.S. means business, then Israel listens, as, for example, when this administration quashed Israel's attempt to sell arms to China. If Bush decides to leave a legacy that includes the resolution of this conflict, then U.S. aid to Israel could come under review.

Ghada Karmi (top)

What do you see coming out of Ehud Olmert's visit to Washington, D.C.?

An American acceptance of his "convergence plan." Since this involves the annexation of approximately half of the West Bank, it will mean the definitive end to the two-state solution.

What role does U.S. aid play in easing or aggravating the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis?

Giving aid while doing nothing to end Israel's occupation only maintains Palestinian dependency and ensures Palestinian helplessness in the face of Israeli colonization. In that sense, it merely aggravates the conflict.

Naseem Tuffaha (top)

What do you see coming out of Ehud Olmert's visit to Washington, D.C.?

I ultimately foresee a "convergence" of Olmert's Convergence Plan and the U.S.-backed "Roadmap". The difference between these plans is in form rather than substance. The U.S. prefers to have the veneer of a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians. Olmert, however, has decided to lift the pretense of a negotiation between two parties since one party holds nearly all the power. Both plans will produce the same outcome and serve the Israeli government's goal to maximize its land conquest of historic Palestine while minimizing the presence of Palestinians. As a confidant to Ariel Sharon, Olmert witnessed first-hand the success Sharon had in influencing Bush through the personal relationship he established. I expect Olmert to use this meeting to establish a foundational relationship with Bush that will lead to bridging the minor process differences in their plans and, if Olmert is successful, additional U.S. funding for his unilateral plan.

What role does U.S. aid play in easing or aggravating the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis?

U.S. aid to the Israelis and Palestinians is an extreme case study in how to further aggravate a conflict rather than function as a productive tool for peace and prosperity. In the case of the Israelis, the U.S. chooses to contravene its own laws (U.S. Arms Export Control, U.S. Foreign Assistance Act) by providing military aid to Israel even though Israel's use of American-made weaponry against Palestinian civilians for non-defensive purposes is well-documented.

In fact, the amount of military aid to Israel has increased in the past several years even as it has committed its most egregious human right violations. The complete absence of accountability for Israel emboldens it to act with impunity and continue its illegal policies of conquest and destruction. In the case of the Palestinians, the U.S. is in the process of inflicting widespread pain against the Palestinian population by withholding aid that serves humanitarian purposes. This "aid" consists of money that Israel deftly absolved itself from providing as the occupying power following Oslo in 1993. By then using this humanitarian aid as a tool to carry out what Israeli Senior Advisor Dov Weisglass referred to as sending Palestinians to an "appointment with a dietician," the U.S. will only exacerbate a dire situation and further undermine its credibility in the region.