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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)

    Iranian Election Primer

    February 11, 2008

    Election Basics:
    -Parliamentary election, scheduled for March 14, 2008; 4 year terms, 290 seats in approximately 200 constituencies. The unicameral Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (Islamic Consultative Council), has the power to propose and pass legislation and act as a check on the President.
    -Candidates must be between 30 and 75 years old; elected by popular vote.
    -7,168 candidates registered to run for the election.
    -Controlled by the Guardian Council and Interior Ministry.
    -Official campaigning begins one week before the elections.

    Candidate Vetting

    Candidates are vetted multiple times to ensure that they meet basic requirements and are committed to the constitution and the Islamic republic. The first round of vetting is conducted by local executive boards appointed by the Interior Ministry and often is biased toward the political views of the current government. Later rounds are conducted by the Guardian Council, composed of six clerics and six lawyers. More than 2,400 candidates have been barred from running thus far. Disqualified candidates can appeal, but appeals are rarely granted. A final list will be issued on March 5.

    Political Dynamics

    Reformists have had 70 percent of their candidates barred from the elections. Only a few of their senior and most electable officials remain. Reformists, however, have appealed to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and may still contest the election. Conservatives in Iran have split into two rival factions. One group is aligned with President Ahmadinejad while another has formed around former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani. Larijani’s faction is critical of Ahmadinejad’s economic policies as well as his approach to Iran’s nuclear program. The election is perceived in Iran as a measure of Ahmadinejad’s popularity as he has struggled to address economic problems and has recently had some of his initiatives publicly struck down by Khamenei.