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1) Reflections on
Israel’s Founding: Peace is the Way Forward
2)
Bush Trip: Statements on Peace Process
3)
West Bank Update: Bethlehem Investment Conference; Settlements Undermining
Negotiations
4)
Gaza-Israel Crisis: Solutions and Stories
5)
Regional Peace News and Ramifications: Israel-Syria Talks
6)
Holy Land Christian Issues: Vatican Expresses Concerns
Six months after the
Annapolis conference and sixty years after the founding of Israel – the
current moment should be a point of reflection for all those who desire a
resolution of the Israeli-Arab conflict. The United States has had a
critical role to play all along the way and continues to today. It was
the first state to recognize the independent state of Israel in 1948, and
Annapolis laid out a compelling case for the need to establish another
nation in 2008, an independent state of Palestine.
Despite the urgent need
for peace and the international consensus that a two-state solution is the
only way forward, the current process is mired in obstacles. The
situation on the ground in the Holy Land, including the inability or
unwillingness of both Israelis and Palestinians to abide by their Road Map
obligations and the ongoing crisis in southern Israel and Gaza, poses
serious challenges. The United States, together with the international
community, must forge a new diplomatic path that not only provides a way
forward for complex Israeli-Palestinian problems but also recognizes the
need for comprehensive regional solutions and peace agreements.
2008 may not be the last
chance for an Israeli-Arab peace deal, but there’s no time like the
present for a conflict that has gone on far too long.
1.
Reflections on Anniversary Year: Peace is the Way Forward
“Born at the Dawn of a New
State: Two Men's Lives Reflect Divergent Fortunes of Jewish, Palestinian
Peoples”,
Griff Witte, Washington Post, May 8, 2008
"Sixty years ago, Dror Gurel and Nabil Zaharan were born into a land at
war. Sons of middle-class families, they entered the world during the same
week and along the same stretch of sun- splashed Mediterranean coast.
Gurel was born in Jewish Tel Aviv; Zaharan's mother gave birth just down
the road, in Arab Jaffa. Yet it was a third birth that week that, more
than anything, has shaped their lives. Israel declared its independence on
May 14, 1948, and Gurel and his family have spent the years since trying
to build the Jewish state into a military and economic powerhouse. Gurel's
father, an engineer, helped design the barracks, training grounds and
ammunition depots of Israel's defense. The son, also an engineer, has
constructed shopping centers and high-rises that have become emblems of
affluence. Zaharan, meanwhile, has spent his life dreaming of a place he
lost but never knew, and wishing for a Palestinian state that may never
be. He prays for his family's safety amid nightly Israeli army incursions,
and hopes his children will find work despite a crippling siege. The
trajectories their lives have taken reflect the vastly different fortunes
of two peoples who, to this day, remain in conflict over the same ancient
land. Israel will celebrate its 60th anniversary Thursday with a
nationwide party; Palestinians will solemnly commemorate what they call
al-Naqba, 'the catastrophe'..."
Access full article
here.
"Israel marks 60th anniversary with pride, uncertainty",
Associated Press, May 8, 2008
"Israel staged its 60th birthday bash with fireworks, air force flyovers
and a great sense of pride Thursday, but also with uncertainty about its
future and doubts about prospects for peace with the Palestinians...Israel
at 60 is a paradox of exuberance and despair - a country enduring near
daily rocket attacks from militants while producing scientists who have
pioneered Wi-Fi and instant messaging. Six decades after rising from the
ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish state is still plagued by threats from
abroad and an identity crisis at home. Its 41-year occupation of
Palestinian territories has invited international condemnation. Yet Israel
is a thriving democracy that has provided a haven for the world's Jews.
Independence Day is a 'celebration of the possible,' said Israeli author
Yossi Klein Halevi. 'It means taking the dream out of the realm of the
ideal and into the realm of the concrete, and that in turn means living
with a certain amount of disappointment.'...In the West Bank and Gaza,
Palestinians staged events to remind the world that Israel's creation has
been their 'nakba,' or catastrophe. Hundreds of thousands were uprooted
during the 1948 war over Israel's creation, and some 4.5 million
Palestinian refugees and their descendants are scattered across the region
today..."
Access full article
here.
"Priority: Statehood", Daoud
Kuttab, Washington Post , May 12, 2008
"In the spring of 1948, my father, George Kuttab, and his brother Qostandi
fled Musrara, a Jerusalem neighborhood just outside the walled city, after
their sister Hoda's husband was killed in front of her and their children.
When Dad used to tell us about the Naqba, the catastrophe that befell
Palestinians in 1948, he never talked politics or hatred. He would laugh
as he told us how his brother secured their home near Damascus Gate. To
assure his mother and brother that the house (in what is now Israeli west
Jerusalem) would be safe, my uncle joked that he had double-locked the
door, turning the heavy metal key twice. He took that key with him to
Zarqa, Jordan, expecting to be able to use it again one day. As
Palestinians look back on the 60 years since they became refugees and
Israelis celebrate the 60th anniversary of their statehood, it is
important to take stock of Palestinian aspirations..."
Access full article
here.
"Encountering peace: next year in Palestine",
Gershon Baskin, The Jerusalem Post, May 5, 2008
"Sixty years! Rising from the ashes and faced with six decades of struggle
and war, Israel certainly has a lot to be proud of. Not only is Israel one
of the world's largest producers of news and interests around the world -
given our size and the problems we face -but Israel has emerged to be a
leading nation in so many fields-agriculture, water technology, high-tech,
medical treatment and research, bio-technology, communications, and more.
Recently, even Israel's film industry has attracted international
attention and fame. I look forward to our Independence Day celebrations
every year. I am proud and pleased that we have this day to celebrate...I
will be very happy to see the day when the Palestinians have their own
Independence Day to celebrate. That day, too, will be a celebration for
Israel and for Zionism...The fate and future of these two peoples depends
on their ability to find a way to live side-by-side in peace-in two
separate states..."
Access full article
here.
"Mideast conflict: need for a new perspective",
Ziad Asali, Arab News, May 5, 2008
"...Israelis and Palestinians live in the same land with divergent
national narratives, and both want and need sovereignty and
self-determination...The two-state solution, for all its faults, is the
only way out of the cycle of violence and hatred that has plagued Israel
and the Palestinians since 1948. It is up to both peoples to decide
whether they will allow themselves to be driven by extremist agendas, or
to pursue what is plainly in their national interests. Their past
trespasses against each other, both real and imagined, have to give way to
the recognition that Israelis and Palestinians clearly now need exactly
the same thing: An end of conflict based on two states...At 60, Israel is
a technologically and politically sophisticated state with a diverse
population and vibrant economy. Israelis deserve a peaceful country with
security and economic progress. Palestinians deserve no less."
Access full article
here.
"Delivering the Third Miracle", Gadi Baltiansky, Middle East
Bulletin, May 9, 2008
"David Ben Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, once said that anyone
who wishes to be realistic in Israel must believe in miracles. Two
miracles have already taken place in Israel: the miracle that prompted the
establishment of the state and the miracle that has sustained it for the
past 60 years. Now, we-the realistic people-are waiting for the third
miracle...Unfortunately, the Israeli-Arab conflict was more foreseeable
than either of the miracles embodied in the founding and sustaining of
Israel. To claim that Zionism was the return of a people without a land to
a land without a people was to make assertions without factual basis.
Hundreds of thousands of Jews returning to a populated land were not
likely to be greeted by the locals with open arms and "gifted" the land
that had been worked for generations. The conflict that developed over
this land is natural. But so, too, could be the resolution to the
conflict, following a battle that has gone on for three generations. This
must be the third miracle..."
Access full article
here.
2.
Bush Trip: Statements on Peace Process
The President's latest
trip to the Middle East did not make meaningful progress on the
Annapolis process. Prior to his departure news reports clarified that
there would be no three-way summit, as had been previously rumored,
although he did meet separately with Israeli, Palestinian and Arab
leaders. Key excerpts of the President's comments related to the peace
process are included below.
"President Bush Attends World Economic Forum",
Sharm el Sheikh International Congress Center, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt,
May 18, 2008
"...We must stand with the Palestinian people, who have suffered for
decades and earned the right to be a homeland of their own -- have a
homeland of their own. I strongly support a two-state solution -- a
democratic Palestine based on law and justice that will live with peace
and security alongside a democrat Israel...Last year at Annapolis, we
made a hopeful beginning toward a peace negotiation that will outline
what this nation of Palestine will look like -- a contiguous state where
Palestinians live in prosperity and dignity. A peace agreement is in the
Palestinians' interests, it is in Israel's interests, it is in Arab
states' interests, and it is in the world's interests. And I firmly
believe that with leadership and courage, we can reach that peace
agreement this year. This is a demanding task. It requires action on all
sides. Palestinians must fight terror and continue to build the
institutions of a free and peaceful society. Israel must make tough
sacrifices for peace and ease the restrictions on the Palestinians. Arab
states, especially oil-rich nations, must seize this opportunity to
invest aggressively in the Palestinian people and to move past their old
resentments against Israel..."
Access full press release
here.
"President Bush Meets with President Abbas of the Palestinian
Authority", Hyatt Regency Sharm el Sheikh Resort, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, May
17, 2008
"...we talked, of course, about the Palestinian state. I told the
President that I am absolutely committed to working with he and his
negotiators, as well as the Israelis, to get a state defined. And I do
so for a couple of reasons. One, it breaks my heart to see the vast
potential of the Palestinian people really wasted. They're good, smart,
capable people that when given a chance will build a thriving homeland.
It'll be an opportunity to end the suffering that takes place in the
Palestinian Territory. And the second reason I am for it is because it's
the only way for lasting peace. The President and his team are committed
to peace. They stand squarely against those who use violence to stop the
peace process. And for that I admire you and your team, Mr. President,
and I commit to you once again that our government will help achieve a
dream, a dream that you have -- and the truth of the matter is, a dream
that the Israelis have, which is two states living side by side in
peace..."
Access full press release
here.
"President Bush Addresses Members of the Knesset",
The Knesset, Jerusalem, May 15, 2008
"...the United States was proud to be the first nation to recognize
Israel's independence. And on this landmark anniversary, America is
proud to be Israel's closest ally and best friend in the world...So as
we mark 60 years from Israel's founding, let us try to envision the
region 60 years from now. This vision is not going to arrive easily or
overnight; it will encounter violent resistance. But if we and future
Presidents and future Knessets maintain our resolve and have faith in
our ideals, here is the Middle East that we can see: Israel will be
celebrating the 120th anniversary as one of the world's great
democracies, a secure and flourishing homeland for the Jewish people.
The Palestinian people will have the homeland they have long dreamed of
and deserved -- a democratic state that is governed by law, and respects
human rights, and rejects terror..."
Access full press release
here.
"President Bush Meets with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert", Residence of Prime Minister Olmert, Jerusalem, May 14, 2008
"...And so I thank you very much for your efforts to describe what's
possible for the millions of Palestinians who simply want to live side
by side with Israel in peace. We've had a -- an extensive discussions on
a variety of issues, and there's no better person to discuss those
issues with than you. You clearly see the threats. You clearly see the
opportunities. And I want to thank you for your strong leadership, and
thank you for your friendship..."
Access full press release
here.
3.
West Bank Update: Bethlehem Investment Conference; Settlements Undermining
Negotiations
The May 21-23 "Palestine Investment Conference" that took place in
the West Bank town of Bethlehem represented a unique effort to improve
daily life in the Palestinian territories, a keystone of the Annapolis
process. For these kinds of initiatives to succeed and for the
Palestinian leadership committed to peace to be strengthened, movement
and access must be improved, in concert with provisions to ensure
Israel's security, and settlement activity must cease, consistent with
the Road Map.
"The Success Of The Investment Conference Gives Momentum To The
Efforts To Remove Israeli Travel Restrictions In The West Bank",Al-ayyam,
May 24, 2008
"Ziad Asali, president of the American Task Force on Palestine and a
member of the American presidential delegation to the Palestinian
Investment Conference, told Al-Ayyam that the participation of an
American presidential delegation in the conference is both 'unique and
special.' Dr. Asali added, '...delegation was also given political
support and legitimacy, sending in the process a message to the
Palestinian people that the American administration, at the level of the
President, is interested in this conference and in developing the
Palestinian economy.' As for the obstacles that Palestinian businessmen
face, Dr. Asali said 'before coming to the conference, we focused our
attention on three things: freedom of movement, crossing, and dignity.
We were guaranteed that everything would go smoothly. We had some
concerns and so did the Israelis, but for the past three days there have
been no problems at the conference. This marked the first time that an
experiment like the conference took place, and that Israeli and
Palestinian cooperation has led to a decrease in the travel restrictions
for people who are participating in the conference. Now, the next step
that we are expecting and working on is the opening of checkpoints so
that people will have less troubles in their travels.' Dr. Asali pointed
out that 'this is essentially a political project because improving the
economic situation is one of the ways to reach a Palestinian state..."
Access full article
here.
"The West Bank rises",
Ephraim Sneh, Jerusalem Post, May 27, 2008
I write these words from Bethlehem where I was invited to attend the
Palestinian Investors Convention, though not as a potential investor.
Over 1,200 business people from the West Bank, Gaza and the Gulf States
attended the event. Security arrangements under the responsibility of
Palestinian Authority security forces were effective and professional.
Palestinian companies delivered their presentations with professionalism
on an international scale. On Thursday afternoon, the foreign investment
deals that were signed passed the $1 billion mark. However, even before
one job is created in the West Bank, it can be said that the
convention's biggest achievement was its mere existence...If we
strengthen the Palestinian economy and help it develop - and we are
capable of doing so - we will essentially be strengthening the moderates
and those who oppose terror. Therefore, I dismiss the term 'a gesture to
the Palestinians' when referring to the dismantling of a roadblock or as
a step toward strengthening the Palestinian economy as nonsense. Such
acts first and foremost serve Israel's interests."
Access full article
here.
"U.S. Agency, Palestinian Firm Sign Deal to Boost Palestinian
Exports", The Associated Press, May 22, 2008
"A U.S. government agency on Thursday presented a political risk
insurance program to help guarantee investments in the West Bank, part
of an international effort to help develop the local economy and pave
the way for an independent Palestinian state. The measure, announced at
an international investors' conference in this biblical town, is meant
to allay concerns by investors about risking their money in the
turbulent Palestinian territories, especially at a time when the fate of
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks is uncertain. Palestinian Prime Minister
Salam Fayyad told investors Thursday that his government would try to
create a comfortable business environment. In the past, the Palestinian
Authority was plagued by allegations of widespread official
mismanagement and nepotism. Fayyad, a respected economist, has been
credited with cleaning up public spending...The Palestinian economy has
been severely hampered by Israeli restrictions on Palestinian trade,
imposed after the outbreak of a Palestinian uprising against Israeli
occupation in 2000. Delays at Israeli checkpoints often make it
difficult for Palestinian exports to deliver their goods on time..."
Access full article
here.
See Also: "Summary of Conference Parallel Sessions", Palestine
Investment Conference
May 22, 2008
Notes
May 23, 2008
Notes
"Settlement stumbling blocs",
Lara Friedman and Hagit Ofran,Haaretz, May 16, 2008
"...If Israel is serious about wanting peace, the future of the West
Bank must be left to negotiations, not predetermined by unilateral acts.
Today, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is trying desperately to
demonstrate to his people that negotiations, not violence, are the route
to achieving Palestinian aspirations. Continued settlement expansion -
even in blocs - undermines him and his pro-peace position. In doing so,
it threatens the two- state solution, and conflicts with the fundamental
Israeli need to end the occupation and achieve real peace and security
for its people. It also embarrasses the U.S. and undermines its peace
efforts, while eroding goodwill toward Israel around the world..."
Access full article
here.
4.
Gaza-Israel Crisis: Solutions and Stories
There are ongoing efforts to try and bring an end to the crisis in
southern Israel and Gaza. Below is an analysis of these diplomatic
efforts, brokered by Egypt, solutions to end the crisis proposed
recently by 52 Members of Congress, and stories of ordinary citizens of
southern Israel and Gaza who are caught in the conflict.
"An Unmentionable Truce?",
Sadie Goldman with Jason Proetorius and IPF Staff, IPF Focus, Volume
6.20, Israel Policy Forum, May 21, 2008
"A Hamas-Israel cease- fire could be on its way, but you wouldn't know
it. No press conference will be held to announce it. Instead, quiet on
Gaza's borders-no rockets going out, no Israeli fire going in-will serve
as the declaration that the cease-fire has begun. But this quiet will
come with a tension that at any moment the cease-fire could end. And
once that happens, major confrontation can be expected. This cease-fire,
which Egypt asserts is pending final Palestinian approval, is a phased
deal, which begins with what Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak
reportedly described as "quiet in exchange for quiet." Hamas will stop
rocket fire and terrorist activity from Gaza and ensure that all
Palestinian militias do the same, and Israel, in turn, will stop air
strikes and ground operations..."
Access full article
here.
"Price, Lahood Lead Dozens of Members in Calling for the
Stabilization of Gaza", Press Release, Office of Congressman David Price (NC-4), May 14,
2008
"During President Bush's trip to the Middle East, Congressmen David
Price (D-NC) and Ray LaHood (R-IL) were joined by 50 of their colleagues
in calling on the President to work toward the stabilization of Gaza as
the best way to move the peace process forward. In a letter sent to the
President today, Price and LaHood express their 'deep concern over the
ongoing crisis in southern Israel and Gaza,' and they argue that the
status quo of terror and violence promises to derail progress toward a
negotiated settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians in the near
future. The congressmen recognize that if violence continues and
negotiations stall, popular support for the peace process will be
undermined, along with any hope of substantial progress on this critical
international challenge. The letter condemns ongoing rocket fire from
Gaza into southern Israel, which is terrorizing Israeli residents, and
it calls attention to retaliation by the Israeli military, which is also
claiming innocent civilians and inflaming passions among the
Palestinians. Israel's economic blockade of Gaza, which is ruled by
Hamas, has also 'exacerbated an already grave humanitarian situation,'
the letter states. 'In this climate, popular support for Hamas remains
strong while the credibility of the current Israeli-Palestinian peace
talks is weakened...'"
Access full press release
here.
View Price - LaHood letter
here.
"Testimony: Life of a family in Sderot under the threat of Qassam
rockets", Ya'acov Swisa, Btselem Interview, May, 2008
"I was born in Sderot and have lived here almost all my life. It was fun
to grow up here. I always loved the place. When I was a boy, I felt as
safe as could be. We didn't even lock our doors at night. I used to
wander around the market in Gaza with no fear at all. Before everything
started, about seven or eight years ago, life here was normal. I worked.
We weren't well off, but we lived with dignity...A war should be between
armies, not between citizens. This war is being waged at the expense of
innocent people, children, handicapped people, the elderly. I can't
understand how innocent people can be harmed on purpose. We all need to
rethink what we're doing..."
Access full article
here.
"Refugee stories - Letters from Gaza (8)...my life under siege", Najwa Sheikh, United Nations Relief and Works Agencies (UNRWA),
Gaza, April 2008
"The recent hot, dry winds made me think that summer was coming fast
this year. I started thinking of things like summer clothes for the
kids, the joys of showering in cool water and sitting on the beach with
the children, playing with the sand (we can't swim in the sea because
its polluted from the sewage). But this lovely image of Gaza is not the
whole picture: since Gaza's borders were sealed, its people have endured
Israeli incursions and air strikes as well as a lack of basic
commodities like medicines - including vaccines - and paper for
books...Since Hamas' take-over of the Gaza Strip last June 2007, things
have changed dramatically. The unemployment rate has risen to 90% and
the majority of Gazans are now dependant on welfare and humanitarian
organizations for food supplies..."
Access full article
here.
5.
Regional Peace News and Ramifications: Israel-Syria Talks
The latest Israeli-Arab peace news is the announcement by Israel,
Syria and their mediator Turkey of negotiations that have been taking
place between the former two countries. This has a number of possible
ramifications given the strained US-Syria relationship and the ongoing
Israeli-Palestinian talks.
"Turkey mediating Syria, Israel peace talks: First negotiations in
eight years", Jeffrey
Heller and Alastair Macdonald, Reuters, May 21, 2008
"Israel and Syria said on Wednesday they had begun indirect peace talks
mediated by Turkey, the first confirmation of negotiations between the
long- time enemies in eight years. In coordinated statements, Israel and
Syria said they had begun an open dialogue with the aim of a
comprehensive peace. Turkey said delegations of both countries,
officially at war since Israel's creation 60 years ago, were already in
Istanbul. The United States said it did 'not object' but repeated its
criticism of Syria's 'support of terrorism' -- a reminder for many
analysts that U.S. hostility to Damascus, and to its Iranian and
Lebanese Hezbollah allies, makes a Syria-Israel deal unlikely before
President George W. Bush steps down in January...'It's always better to
talk than shoot,' Mr. Olmert said, without spelling out what concessions
he was thinking of...An Israeli statement, echoed by one from Syria,
said the two sides would now 'conduct dialogue in a serious and
continuous manner with the aim of reaching a comprehensive peace.'
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said Israel had shown that it
might return the Golan: 'Without this commitment we cannot conduct any
negotiation,' he told Reuters..."
Access full article
here.
"MIDEAST: A Quick Guide to Some Stumbling Blocks",
Peter Hirschberg, InterPress Service, May 26, 2008
"Israel and Syria recently announced the renewal of talks, with the aim
of reaching a comprehensive peace agreement. For now, the talks, which
are being mediated by Turkey, are indirect and are aimed at preparing
the groundwork for full and direct negotiations. For a peace treaty to
be reached, the sides will have to successfully negotiate a series of
issues..."
Access full article
here.
6.
Holy Land Christian Issues: Vatican Expresses Concerns
"Holy See asks Israel to help protect Christians in Mideast", The Associated Press, May 12, 2008
"Pope Benedict XVI urged Israel on Monday to help the dwindling
Christian community in the Middle East by assuring them of a secure
future in the region. He has also asked that Israel resolve
long-standing problems with the Holy See over church land and taxes and
to ease visa restrictions for Catholic clergy. Benedict raised the
issues when he received Israel's new ambassador to the Holy See. The
problem of travel restrictions on Arab Christian clergy has been an
irritant in relations. Israel has rescinded some travel privileges,
citing security concerns. Ambassador Mordechay Lewy told the pope that
Israel is committed to strengthening the ancient Christian communities
and wants to settle the outstanding issues with the Vatican. Benedict
has made concern over the future of Middle East Christians a priority.
Economic problems as well as violence in the Holy Land and Iraq have led
Christians to emigrate from the region..."
Access full article
here.
View Vatican Press Release,
"Rome and Jerusalem: Faith and Wisdom for the World", May 12, 2008
=========================================================================
The
views expressed by the authors of the items included do not necessarily
reflect those of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). CMEP is a
coalition of 21 Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant church bodies and
organizations that work together in pursuit of a peaceful resolution of
the Arab-Israeli conflict where two viable states, Israel and Palestine,
live side-by-side within secure and recognized borders.
For more information contact Julie Schumacher Cohen, CMEP's Legislative
Coordinator at 202-543-1222 or at Julie@cmep.org. |
