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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

09/04/08
From Zero-Sum to Win-Win  —Mara Rudman, adviser, Middle East Progress; senior fellow, Center for American Progress. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.
09/04/08
How Progress Is Possible  —
08/07/08
How to Deal with Jerusalem  —Lt. Col. (Res.) Ron Shatzberg, Project Director, Economic Cooperation Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

Two-State Solution Still Best Option

“In practical terms, we can reach two conclusions: First, a final-status agreement, although its details are known, cannot be secured in the foreseeable future. Second, the time has come to think about other solutions. One of them is a return not to the 1967 borders, but rather, to the reality that prevailed in 1967, when Jordan controlled the West Bank.”
—Major General (ret.) Giora Eiland, “The Jordanian Option,” YNet, September 3, 2008 versus
  • "On both sides of the green line and, indeed, wherever people think about solutions to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, a lot of old/new thinking is taking place. … Most of these ideas are patently unrealistic. Discussion of them often reflects despair, not pragmatic strategic thinking. … Precisely because there is no such alternative, other options more readily suggest themselves, ranging from temporary conflict management to three states or entities. Nor does failure today mean that tomorrow we cannot try again to arrive at a two-state solution, which remains the best option for all."
    —Yossi Alpher, coeditor of the bitterlemons family of internet publications & former director, Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University, "One State Definitely Not an Option," bitterlemons.org, August 18, 2008

    • Middle East Analysis

    • How Progress Is Possible —Hiba Husseini, chair, Legal Committee to Final Status Negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis; former vice chairperson of the Palestine Securities Exchange (1998-May 2005). Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
    • Perils of an Israeli Transition —The New York Times, Editorial
    • The Arabs Will Look Differently Upon America —Ron Pundak, director general of the Peres Center for Peace and former architects and negotiators of the Oslo Agreement (bitterlemons.org)

    Key Events in U.S.-Iran Relations

    May 30, 2007

    1979-1980: Hostage Crisis: Iranian students overrun the U.S. embassy in Tehran and take more than 60 Americans hostage. Talks between the U.S. and Iran to secure the release of the hostages culminate in the 1981 Algiers Accords.
    1985-1986: Iran-Contra:     Secret contacts between American and Iranian officials aimed at freeing U.S. hostages held by pro-Iranian guerillas in Lebanon take place.
    1988: Tensions in the Persian Gulf:     U.S. warships sank an Iranian frigate and shelled two Persian Gulf oil platforms in response to a mine attack against U.S. frigate. The U.S. Navy accidentally shot down an Iranian commercial jet.
    1995: Economic Sanctions:     The U.S. imposed sanctions, first prohibiting American companies from doing business with Iran, then embargoing non-American companies investing in Iran’s oil and gas sector.
    1998: Hopes for New Ties:     Iran’s new president, Mohammed Khatami, called for a “dialogue among civilizations” on CNN.
    2000: U.S. Overture:     Secretary of State Madeleine Albright apologized for the U.S. role in the 1953 overthrow of Iran’s prime minister. Some sanctions were lifted. Albright later met with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi as part of the Six-Plus-Two regional talks on Afghanistan.
    2001: Post-9/11 Cooperation on Afghanistan:     The U.S. and Iran, with other UN members, met to form a post-Taliban government and constitution.
    2002: Axis of Evil Speech:     President Bush mentions Iran as part of an "axis of evil" in his State of the Union speech.
    2003: Iran’s Overture:     An overture from Iran for comprehensive bilateral talks, reportedly signed off at the highest levels of government, was offered to U.S. officials in May.
    2004: Powell’s Brief Meeting:     Outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell met with Iran’s foreign minister, Kamal Kharrazi, at an international conference on Iraq.
    2006: Ahmadinejad’s Letter:     President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent President Bush a rambling eighteen-page letter.
    2006-2007: Growing Tensions in Iraq and Gulf:     U.S. forces detain Iranians alleged to support violent groups in Iraq and Iran and U.S. holds naval exercises in the Gulf.
    2007: Contacts on Iraq:     Secretary of State Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki exchanged pleasantries at a May conference on Iraq.
    Also in May, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker met his Iranian counterpart in a “businesslike” meeting on Iraqi security issues

    From a report by Lionel Beehner, Council on Foreign Relations with additional resources (PBS, International Herald Tribune, Reuters, The State Department, The White House)