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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

12/11/08
Toward Resolution  —President of Israel Shimon Peres. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
11/25/08
U.S. Engagement with Iran: A How to Guide  — Karim Sadjadpour, associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.
11/20/08
Pakistan: Learning the Right Lessons from Iraq  —Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

A Shared Interest

"With his enthusiastic embrace of the so-called Saudi peace plan, Olmert is committing Israel to accepting the Arab narrative of the Arab-Israeli conflict. … With Olmert now giving his stamp of approval to the Saudi plan, he is denying the country its moral right to defend itself both militarily and diplomatically."
—Caroline Glick, deputy managing editor, The Jerusalem Post; senior fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs, Center for Security Policy, "Tzipi and the Drug Lords," The Jerusalem Post, November 27, 2008 versus
  • “Israel rejected the Initiative in the past without examining it in depth. According to the common wisdom, the more Arab partners involved, the more they’ll be pushing us and be in favor of the Palestinians. I think that in the present situation in the Arab and Muslim world, where we see strengthening of extremism that bothers moderate Arab states no less than it bothers us, the Arab states have an interest that such an agreement comes to fruition. And for that to happen, if there is a need to push the Palestinians or assist them, I think this is exactly the time to do that.”
    —Maj. Gen (ret.) Danny Rothschild, president, Council for Peace and Security, interview, Israeli radio, Reshet Bet, November 2, 2008 (translated by Middle East Bulletin)

    • Middle East Analysis

    • Putting the Arab Peace Initiative Into Action —Ghaith al-Omari, director of advocacy, American Task Force on Palestine; former foreign policy adviser to Palestinian President Abbas. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.
    • Peace Plan Needs PR Backing —Roula Khalaf (Financial Times)
    • A Comprehensive Agenda —Ezzedine Choukri-Fishere, former adviser to the Egyptian foreign minister, & Omar Dajani, former legal adviser to the Palestinian negotiating team (Al-Ahram Weekly)

    All items

      • Putting the Arab Peace Initiative Into Action
      • Analysis | Dec 11, 2008

      • The fact that more than five years after its publication, the Arab Peace Initiative continues to be a topic of conversation is a testament to its strength. Its recent resurgence presents an opportunity for Arabs, Israelis and Americans alike to breathe new life into the shaky and uncertain Israeli-Palestinian peace process. …

        For the Initiative to live up to its potential, some steps are still needed. Arab leaders need to explain the Initiative, not only to the general public, but

        more

      • Peace Plan Needs PR Backing
      • Analysis | Dec 11, 2008

      • The Palestinian Authority took the unusual move of placing full page adverts recently in regional and international newspapers to promote the Saudi-sponsored plan. A group of Israelis, including former generals and diplomats, have launched their own campaign in the Israeli media, advising their country grab a unique opportunity. It is partly a question of timing: with a new administration taking over in Washington, and elections due in Israel in February, it makes good sense to raise awareness about the Arab

        more

      • A Comprehensive Agenda
      • Analysis | Dec 11, 2008

      • For almost 20 years, the creed governing U.S. involvement in the Arab-Israeli peace process has been that the United States cannot want peace more than the parties themselves. … That strategy clearly has failed. After decades of intermittent negotiations, Arabs and Israelis have yet to reach agreement on a solution to this century-long conflict, and with each passing year the problems grow only more difficult to solve. No U.S. administration has managed to avoid being drawn into the morass of

        more

      • Dayton: New PA Forces Are Most Capable Ever
      • News | Dec 11, 2008

      • Keith Dayton, the U.S. army general who is overseeing the training in Jordan of the Palestinian Authority’s National Security Force for the West Bank, has praised the new recruits as “the most capable Palestinian security forces that have ever been fielded here,” and firmly played down the notion that they might one day come to turn their weapons on Israel. …

        Unlike many Middle East envoys, who fly in and out, Dayton has spent the three years on the ground here,

        more

      • Egypt Praises Morocco for Promotion of Mideast Peace
      • News | Dec 11, 2008

      • A state-owned Egyptian paper praised Morocco Tuesday for its commitment to assisting the Israeli-Arab peace process. “It’s time to develop talks in order to further the peace process and persuade Israel to accept the Arab peace initiative,” Al-Ahram Weekly said.

        The editorial was referring to reports on Morocco’s preparations for a visit by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. It said the visit was intended to “promote cooperation and empower the Israeli- Palestinian process.”

      • Salloukh Denies Reports That Beirut Picked Syria Envoy
      • News | Dec 11, 2008

      • Controversy surrounded the nomination of a Lebanese ambassador to Syria on Wednesday, as Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh denied a report that Lebanon had chosen diplomat Michel Khoury as its first ever envoy to Syria. “The Cabinet is planning to submit the name of Khoury, the current Lebanese ambassador to Cyprus, to become ambassador in Damascus,” a Foreign Ministry official told AFP Wednesday, requesting anonymity.

        The cabinet is due to meet on December 13.

      • Egypt, Syria Spar Over Palestinian Conflict
      • News | Dec 11, 2008

      • Egypt and Syria are currently at loggerheads over accusations that Egypt is siding with Fatah in its mediation efforts to end the internal Palestinian conflict. …

        Egypt has been playing the role of mediator, in order to bring about reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, and claims it is taking an even-handed approach to the conflict. But Syria says Egypt is not being an honest broker and is biased against Hamas.

      • EU Votes to Upgrade Israel Relations Despite Arab Lobbying
      • News | Dec 11, 2008

      • The European Union’s 27 foreign ministers unanimously approved upgrading relations with Israel on Monday, despite vigorous efforts by the Palestinian Authority and Egypt to thwart the move.

        The first expression of this decision will be a first-of-its- kind meeting between Israel’s prime minister and all the leaders of the EU member states in Brussels this April.

      • The Heart of the Initiative
      • Heard on the Street | Dec 11, 2008

      • King Abdullah II of Jordan, interview with El Pais, October 18, 2008:

        “Israel today has to decide whether it wants to keep the future of Israel as fortress Israel or does it want to engage with the Arab and Muslim world … We’re not saying take it or leave it. We have put some ideas in this proposal and at the end of the day, it will happen when both sides agree. So the Arab proposal is extremely flexible, as

        more

      • The Arab Peace Initiative
      • Background Basics | Dec 11, 2008

      • The initiative is a framework for a comprehensive peace between Israel and all Arab countries. It is based on the principles of land for peace, as outlined in UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, the two-state solution and the belief that use of armed force to resolve the conflict will provide neither peace nor security.

        The proposal calls for Israel to affirm:
        • Commitment to a full withdrawal from all occupied territories to the June 4, 1967 lines,

        more

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