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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

08/07/08
How to Deal with Jerusalem  —Lt. Col. (Res.) Ron Shatzberg, Project Director, Economic Cooperation Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
08/07/08
How to Deal with Jerusalem  —
08/05/08
Why Did Maliki Call for a Timeline?  —by Christopher Kojm who teaches at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and is a former senior advisor to the Iraq Study Group. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

Already Divided

“Even the Arab minority in the city has shown its preference for living under Israeli rule, as many have moved to the Israeli side of the security barrier being built around Jerusalem. Their choice is reasonable, as Jerusalem offers the quality of life of a modern western city while only a few kilometers away the norm is a third world standard of living, chaos and religious intolerance. An undivided Jerusalem is the best guarantee of a better life for all Jerusalemites.”
—Nathan Diament, Director of Public Policy, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, July 23, 2008 versus
  • “Those who believe that Jerusalem should not be divided, and mean by that that the Arab neighborhoods should not be separated from the city, should be the first to insist that an active policy be adopted by the government and the municipality to improve the lot of local Arab residents. Barring that, Jerusalem will continue to remain a divided city.”
    —Moshe Arens, former Israeli defense and foreign minister (Likud), “A Story of Neglect,” Haaretz, July 28, 2008

    • Middle East Analysis

    The U.S. Helps Itself by Helping Palestine

    Samir Abdullah, Palestinian minister of planning; member of the Palestinian delegation at the peace negotiations in Madrid and Washington (1991-1993) (The Daily Star)
    February 27, 2008

    In his final State of the Union address, U.S. President George W. Bush said he believed that a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal would be a reality by the end of his term. Despite the optimism that his remarks generated in the Palestinian government, the goal of reaching a Palestinian- Israeli agreement by the end of 2008—which Bush set at the Annapolis summit last year and again during his visit to Ramallah last month—remains subject to question, and this is a matter that merits immediate attention.

    In the broadest terms, what we in the Palestinian government want is support in creating a new kind of political environment, one in which moderates can translate their goals and aspirations into credible policies while sustaining the confidence of the Palestinian public. This is why we presented a bold economic and administrative reform plan at the Paris conference in December 2007. … All in all, our plan reflects the determination of moderates on the Palestinian side to take control of Palestinian affairs and build frameworks and mechanisms that will foster hope among our people and build trust with our neighbors. Nonetheless, despite the fact that the right direction is clear, the path ahead is far from easy. …

    The task of devising a workable diplomatic strategy to support the Palestinian government and prevent the complete collapse of the two-state solution is the challenge at hand today. With all the advantages of hindsight, Bush today understands that the most sensible solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict now rests on the slender hope of full-fledged Palestinian recovery, sovereignty, and independence. He must therefore muster the political will and courage to persuade the Israeli government to change its current course in the Occupied Territories; not only because this is a matter of commitment to ideals and principles the American people stand for, but also because it is a realistic and prudent approach that will empower moderates everywhere in the Arab world. Washington has much to gain from pursuing such a policy. Access the full article>>