[…] The United States commends Prime Minister Hariri and President Sleiman for their stewardship during the government formation process, and looks forward to working with the next Lebanese government on behalf of the people of Lebanon. We hope that the cabinet statement and government program will reflect a commitment to full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1680, and 1701.

[…] The critical first step in the Middle East peace process is to relaunch negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis without preconditions, says U.S. Under Secretary of State William Burns.
“That emphatically does not mean starting from scratch; it means building on previous agreements, resolving the core issues of the conflict, and settling it once and for all,” Burns said in a speech at the Washington-based Middle East Institute November 10.

[…] In remarks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ali Aboul Gheit following their November 4 talks in Cairo, Clinton said the United States would like all current and planned Israeli settlement activity to be halted. The U.S. policy opposing Israeli settlement activity has not changed, she said. She also said Israel’s offer to halt all new settlement activities, to end the expropriation of land and issue no permits or approvals, while “unprecedented,” is “not what we would prefer.”

[…] Secretary Clinton, in a speech November 3, outlined three areas the United States will focus on in its engagement with Muslim communities around the world, expanding upon President Obama’s June 4 speech in Cairo. The first is partnering with Muslim communities to advance entrepreneurship, job creation and economic development.

[…] And the Obama Administration’s position on settlements is clear, unequivocal. It has not changed. And as the President has said on many occasions, the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. Now, the Israelis have responded to the call from the United States, the Palestinians and the Arab world to stop settlement activity by expressing a willingness to restrain settlement activity.