The man with the Israel-Palestine file At the State Department, Hady Amr is not working on a comprehensive plan for peace, but on step-by-step steps to improve the situation on the ground, several Israeli, Palestinian and American sources tell me.
Why it matters: US presidents have been in office for decades in hopes of reaching a historic peace agreement. President Biden does not think this is feasible under the current circumstances.
- With Israel-Palestine well below the White House priority list, the issue will primarily be handled by the State Department where Amr serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs (unlike Barack Obama, Biden refused for Peace in the Middle East).
- State Secretary Tony Blinken has made it clear that he does not expect a Nobel Peace Prize. Instead, Amr has been tasked with building trust from the bottom up.
- Based on my conversations with a dozen current and former Israeli, Palestinian and US officials, Amr appears to be the epitome of this more pragmatic approach.
Amr was the bottom-up man for 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 sewerage systems in the West Bank.
- During the 2014 Gaza War, Amr worked around the clock to redistribute all US aid to the Palestinians into humanitarian aid for Gaza.
- It was up to Amr to implement the 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 backstory: Amr was born in Beirut in 1967 and grew up mainly 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 in 2006 joined the Brookings Institution, where he founded the Doha Center.
- Amr returned to office during the Obama administration, first in the Department of Homeland Security and then as Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Middle East at the US Agency for International Development.
- In 2013, he was brought in by then-peace envoy Martin Indyk – also Amr’s former boss at Brookings – to work on economic issues related to the Palestinians. Amr stayed on until the end of Obama’s second term.
- He was foreign policy adviser to Biden’s campaign and involved in its outreach to the Arab American community.
What they say: General Yoav (Poli) Mordechai, the former coordinator of the Israeli government in the West Bank and Gaza, says he felt Amr was a knowledgeable professional who did not get involved in political arguments but rather wanted to get things done.
- Israeli deputy national security adviser Reuven Azar, who was a close interlocutor of Amr during his service at the Israeli embassy in Washington, felt he was pragmatic, humane and focused on improving the living conditions of Palestinians, says a well-known source with his thinking.
- An Israeli official who has spoken with Amr since his appointment describes him as intelligent with a very down-to-earth view of what is currently achievable.
The other side: Palestinian officials tell me they are impressed with Amr based on their commitments so far.
- “We always joked that the new American envoy would never know the difference between Sheikh Jarrah and Kafr ‘Aqab. [two neighborhoods in East Jerusalem]a Palestinian official said.
- ‘He knows. We haven’t spoken to the Americans for years and finally someone is listening. ‘
The state of affairs: Amr develops plans to reconnect with the Palestinian Authority, reverse some of Trump’s policies, and resume financial aid to the Palestinians, likely starting with $ 75 million already allocated by Congress for aid and development projects.
- Those issues are at the top of his to-do list until Israel’s March 23 election.
- Amr will face two political challenges in the near term: reestablishing US policy on West Bank settlements without provoking a fight with the Israeli government and setting a policy for the Palestinian parliamentary elections scheduled for May 22.
- He has already held talks with officials from both sides, including the Israeli Ambassador to Washington, the Israeli Deputy National Security Adviser, the Palestinian Prime Minister and the Palestinian Intelligence Director.
What’s next: Amr’s debut on the world stage will be at the meeting of international donors to the Palestinian Authority on February 23 to discuss steps to improve the Palestinian economy. Israelis, Palestinians and members of the international community will keep a close watch.
Worth nothing: Due to unusual circumstances, Amr wears at least two other hats outside of his role as Deputy Assistant Secretary.
- Without a special envoy to 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. That group met on Monday via Zoom.
- Amr is also the de facto US head of mission to the Palestinians, as the US consulate in Jerusalem was merged into the embassy in Israel in 2019 by the Trump administration.
- The Palestinians at the time stopped almost all communication with US diplomats at the embassy, so Amr will be the main point of contact for Palestinians hoping to communicate with the government.
Former and current US officials praise Amr knowledge of the gist of and ability to move difficult issues forward, and they say he was a mentor to the young foreign service officers who worked with him on the Israeli-Palestinian dossier.
- Indyk, Amr’s former boss, tells me that he is “the right person for this time because he knows the mechanics, concerns and sensitivities of both parties, and his job is to improve the situation and build that. on the experience he has. “
It comes down to: Amr has a much lower profile than others who have held this portfolio, most recently Jared Kushner. But that fits the more modest goals of the Biden government.