Nearly two decades after Rabin and Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn, lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians remains elusive. The latest Israeli-Hamas conflict, the new Palestinian status at the UN, and the

2013 Israeli parliamentary elections are some of the latest developments to impact peace prospects. Offering insight from his extensive career in the Middle East, Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer argues that it is time for America to once again make a serious effort to advance Arab-Israeli peace. As President Obama begins his second term, what role should American diplomacy have in resolving this conflict? Join The Chicago Council and Ambassador Kurtzer as he outlines available policy options and offers perspectives on America’s role in facilitating peace.

The Honorable Daniel C. Kurtzer is a lecturer and the S. Daniel Abraham Professor in Middle East policy studies at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Following a 29-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, he retired in 2005 with the rank of career-minister. From 2001 to 2005, he served as the U.S. ambassador to Israel, and from 1997 to 2001 as the ambassador to Egypt. He previously served as a political officer at the American embassies in Cairo and Tel Aviv, deputy director of the Office of Egyptian Affairs, speechwriter on the policy planning staff, deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, and principal deputy assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research. He is the coauthor of Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace: American Leadership in the Middle East. He received his PhD from Columbia University.

His latest book, Pathways to Peace: America and the Arab-Israeli Conflict will be available for purchase and signing following the program.

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