Frank Lowenstein served as Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations and Senior Advisor to Secretary of State John Kerry at the U.S. Department of State from 2014-2017. He played a key role in the 9 months of direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians 2013-2014 and the Gaza ceasefire negotiations in 2014.
His diplomatic responsibilities included representing the United States at high level international engagements, including as the U.S. representative to the Middle East Quartet. In 2016, he received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest civilian honor awarded by the State Department.
Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Lowenstein served Staff Director and Chief Counsel of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he had responsibility for advancing key legislation including the New Start Treaty.
He is currently an internationally recognized expert on US foreign policy and Middle East issues and a regular contributor to major international media outlets, including the BBC, CNN, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.
Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations: Prospects and Pitfalls
Reports from the first stage of the talks suggest progress on some initial points and a constructive tone, but it appears that several key issues still need to be resolved.
Key Issues in Ceasefire Negotiations
Over the past two weeks, there has been renewed momentum towards a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Initial Reactions and Policy Analysis to Israel's Strike on Iran - Frank Lowenstein
Here are the questions that must be answered in the immediate aftermath of this attack.
Ongoing Israeli Attack: