through the United Nations) have responded to the conflict in one of two ways: offer-
ing rhetorical support for one side or the other because its grievances seemed more
compelling, or attempting to broker a compromise. By far, the most important out-
side actor has been the United States, which has attempted to portray itself as an “hon-
est broker” between the two sides despite its underlying commitments to Israel. The
United States has intervened at crucial points to dampen the conflict and to help nego-
tiate peace agreements; during much of the 1990s, U.S. intervention was a major fac-
tor propelling the Oslo peace process in a somewhat forward direction. The weight of
the world’s only superpower could not, however, bring about a permanent agreement
during negotiations in 2000, but the general absence of U.S. diplomacy in subsequent
years helped ensure that the conflict would continue a while longer.
168 ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIANS