Washington, DC -- APN today welcomed news of a Fatah-Hamas deal.  To the degree that the agreement provides for elections and a joint government, this is an opportunity that the Obama administration should not squander.  Commenting on today's development, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee stated:

"Today's announcement of a Fatah-Hamas deal to jointly form a government and to hold new elections is good news, and we hope that the agreement is implemented.  While we still don't know all the details of the agreement, we know that a Palestinian government representing all Palestinians, with security and governance capacity in both the West Bank and Gaza, is vital to the achievement of a peace agreement.

Today, a group of leading Israel cultural figures, among them winners of the prestigious Israel Prize, gathered in Tel Aviv to announce their welcome of an independent Palestinian state next to Israel, with its borders based on the 1967 borders.  

The urgency of the Israeli-Palestinian situation today cannot be overstated.  Current peace efforts have lost all credibility.  Settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem continues, undermining the viability of the two-state solution.  Moderate Palestinian leaders, unable to deliver progress to their people through negotiations, are under increasing pressure to pursue alternative strategies.  Violence and tensions on the ground are rising.