At the request of both Palestinian and Israeli officials, the United States is prepared to play a more active and direct role in the final status talks. This “new phase” of the negotiations is aimed at accelerating the reaching of a framework agreement by next month, and a final peace accord by September; will this be another ostentatious demonstration of “American Beauty” in mediation and diplomacy? More importantly, will it be able to tangibly move the peace process forward?

Two weeks of intensive bilateral talks between Palestinian and Israeli officials in Washington have achieved very little, if anything. The positions of both parties on crucial issues such as borders, settlements, refugees, and Jerusalem remain far apart.

President Bill Clinton asserted that more “flexibility” is needed by both sides in order to achieve real progress in the reaching of a peace agreement. Yet, more importantly, there is a pressing need for Israel to abide by the legal foundations of the issues at hand.

Repeatedly, the Palestinians have stressed the validity and applicability of United Nations Resolutions 242, 338, 181, and 194 concerning the fate of Jerusalem, the right of return of the Palestinian refugees, and the return to the boundaries of June 1967, among other issues.

Any attempt to circumvent or dismiss these principles is inadmissible, and will inevitably plant the seeds for further conflict, rather than their elimination. It is incumbent upon the United States, as mediator and facilitator for the peace process, to uphold international law and Palestinian rights in order to put a real end to the conflict.

The coming weeks will act as a "double test" of Israel's seriousness in the peace process and the United States' ability to fulfill its expected role as an effective peace broker.