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2006 Begins with
New Challenges and Uncertainty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
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Quartet and Road
Map Focus
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Jerusalem News
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Holy Land
Christians: Dwindling Population
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Signs of Hope:
Israeli-Palestinian Cooperation in Health and Economic Development
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Israeli and
Palestinian Security and Economic Issues & Resources
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1.
2006 begins with new challenges
and uncertainty for israeli-palestinian peace
Prime Minister
Sharon’s recent stroke and his continued grave condition have been a
sobering start to the new year, plunging Israeli politics into
upheaval and bringing new uncertainties regarding progress toward
Israeli-Palestinian peace. Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has
become acting prime minister and the outcome of
Israel’s March
elections are increasingly unclear. Coming up in just two weeks are
the Palestinian legislative elections, still scheduled for January
25th despite continued disorder in the Palestinian
territories, internal conflicts among factions and the unresolved
issue of Palestinian voting in East Jerusalem. While little movement on Israeli-Palestinian peace can be expected in
the very near term, it is vital that the
United States continue to express its commitment to a secure and viable two-state
solution to the conflict.
2.
Quartet and road map focus
Below are the
latest statements and news from the Middle East Quartet, which
includes the
United States,
European Union, United Nations, and
Russia.
Also below are updates regarding the Road Map peace plan, which was
created to help the “parties reach [a] final and comprehensive
permanent status agreement that ends the Israel-Palestinian
conflict” by the end of 2005.
“Quartet Statement
on Palestinian Legislative Council Elections”, UN News Centre,
December 28, 2005
“The Quartet
welcomes the upcoming Palestinian Legislative Council elections as a
positive step toward consolidation of Palestinian democracy and the
goal of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Quartet calls on the Palestinian Authority and the Central
Elections Commission to ensure a free, fair, and open process in
accordance with Palestinian law. The Quartet noted the continued
importance of security in this regard, and calls on the Palestinian
Authority to take immediate steps to ensure law and order, prevent
terrorist attacks and dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism…The
Quartet recalled its September 20 statement, together with the
Secretary General's subsequent statement on behalf of the Quartet
that ultimately those who want to be part of the political process
should not engage in armed group or militia activities, for there is
a fundamental contradiction between such activities and the building
of a democratic state. In this regard, the Quartet calls on all
participants to renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to
exist, and disarm…. Both parties should work to put in place a
mechanism to allow Palestinians resident in Jerusalem to exercise
their legitimate democratic rights, in conformity with existing
precedent.”
http://www.un.org/news/dh/infocus/middle_east/quartet-28dec2005.htm
“UN Secy
Gen.: No intention to expand Quartet, but have Jordan, Egypt, Saudis
attend meetings”,
IMRA
(Israel),
December 23, 2005
“…Egypt and Saudi
Arabia and Jordan have played an important role in the situation in
the Middle East. In fact, on the reform of Palestinian security,
Egypt has been
extremely helpful, working with the Europeans and the Americans to
reform the Palestinian security authority. The Quartet, in the past,
has broadened its meeting. We had a meeting once where we brought in
the three countries Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. And at our last
meeting, in September, this issue came up: that we should in the
near future allow room for a larger discussion, bringing in the
partners in the region. I don't think there's an intention to expand
the Quartet as such. But the Quartet can meet in an expanded format
with the three countries that you mentioned, and I think that is not
excluded, that it will take place in the course of this year.”
http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=27918
“Despite missed deadline, Quartet peace plan still valid: UN
envoy”,
UN
News Centre, December 20, 2005
“With only 10 days
left before the expiration of the original deadline of the Middle
East Diplomatic Quartet’s so-called Road Map peace plan for a final
and settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a top United
Nations official stressed today that the plan is still the agreed
framework for reaching a lasting peace in the Middle East…”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=16998&Cr=Middle&Cr1=East
Israeli-Palestinian
Public Opinion on Road Map Peace Plan: Press Release for Joint Palestinian-Israeli Public Opinion Poll, Harry
S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Center for Policy
and Survey Research in Ramallah, December 21, 2005
Among a number of
conflict resolution issues that the poll targeted it found that,
“60% of the Palestinians support and 36% oppose the roadmap plan.
Among Israelis 65% support the plan compared to 31% who oppose it.”
For the full results of the public opinion poll please visit:
http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2005/p18ejoint.html
3.
Jerusalem news
Jerusalem
has been in the spotlight in recent weeks because of the dispute
between Israel and the Palestinian Authority over whether
Palestinians living in
East Jerusalem will be able to vote in the upcoming Palestinian
legislative elections. Below is a statement from the State
Department detailing the
U.S. perspective on
this issue. Also below is the latest news regarding Israeli
building plans in the “E-1” area, the land northeast of Jerusalem
and west of the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim.
Since this update
was produced there have been further developments regarding the
issue of Palestinian voting in East
Jerusalem. Please see, “Israel approves
E. Jerusalem
voting,” Reuters, January 15, 2006:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-01-15T092615Z_01_SPI533690_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-ELECTION.xml&archived=False
State Department on Palestinian Voting in
East Jerusalem:
Excerpt
from Daily Press Briefing,
Sean McCormack, Spokesman,
Washington, DC,
January 3, 2006
“…Well, we continue
to think that the date for the Palestinian elections is ultimately a
decision for the Palestinians to make…We see no reason why those
elections should not proceed on January 25th. We believe that the
Palestinian Authority should be concentrating on preparations for
those elections so that individuals -- Palestinian people -- can
vote in an atmosphere that is free from violence or coercion or
intimidation...The issue of East Jerusalem has come up in previous
Palestinian votes and the Palestinian Authority has been able to
work out accommodations with the Israeli Government to allow voting
for people in that area. We see no reason why the Palestinian
Authority and the Israeli Government shouldn't be able to come to
some similar kind of accommodation for this round of voting and we
are going to be working with the Palestinian Authority and the
Israeli Government, encouraging them to discuss this issue so that
elections can move forward…We believe that these elections should
reflect the will of the Palestinian people and that in the past that
has included voting by people who are from or live in East
Jerusalem. The Israelis and the Palestinians have been [able] to
reach accommodation on that issue. We think that they should [be]
able to again…”
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2006/58647.htm
For the latest on
this issue, see “Israel lets
some Palestinians campaign in E. Jerusalem”, Dan Williams,
Reuters, January 9, 2006:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-01-09T112755Z_01_ARM922079_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-JERUSALEM.xml&archived=False
“Lupolianski: No building homes in E1,”
David Horowitz, The Jerusalem Post,
December 28, 2005
“Given the
overwhelming international opposition to the idea, there is
absolutely no way that
Israel
can build housing in the E1 area between
Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski said
Tuesday. Even though the Defense Ministry has formally authorized
construction of thousands of residential units in the E1 area,
Lupolianski said simple pragmatism meant there was absolutely no
prospect of such construction there. ‘Whether or not I support it
is not the point,’ the mayor said in an interview with The
Jerusalem Post. ‘Pragmatism says that today, given
Israel's relations
with the international community - with the Americans and the
Europeans - there's no chance.’ He added that he certainly believed,
nonetheless, that Ma'aleh Adumim should be connected to
Jerusalem
and knew of tentative plans for non-residential construction…”
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1135696348146&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(For background on
the E-1 plan, see "E-1 & Ma'ale Adumim”, Americans for
Peace Now’s Settlements in Focus report: Vol. 1, Issue 1, Text by
Peace Now Settlements Watch Director Dror Etkes; Additional text
provided by Danny Seidemann, Ir Amim; Edited by APN Government
Relations Director Lara Friedman, May 15, 2005.
http://www.peacenow.org/briefs.asp?rid=&cid=749).
4. Holy land christians:
Dwindling population
“Faithful villagers keep it Christian in this last outpost in
the Holy Land”, Matthew Kalman, San Francisco Chronicle,
December 25, 2005
“Two thousand years after Jesus came to Taybeh, the dwindling population of
this tiny West Bank community is
determined to survive and pass on to
future generations their unique heritage: the last all-Christian
village in the Holy Land. The villagers of Taybeh are
fiercely proud of their Christian heritage. In the entire Holy Land,
there are only about 200,000 Christians, less than 2 percent of the
population -- 130,000 in Israel and 70,000 in the West Bank and
Gaza…”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/25/MNGUSGDABE1.DTL
5.
Signs of Hope:
Israeli-Palestinian Cooperation in Health and economic development
Despite conflict
and tensions, there are a variety of examples of cooperation between
Israeli and Palestinian private citizens, professionals, academics
and government officials. Below are just two recent examples of
such hopeful cooperation in the areas of health and economic
development, which demonstrate the possibility for progress toward a
negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
“Could bird flu promote peace?”,
Ashraf
Ajrami, Ynetnews (Israel),
December 27, 2005
“A
leading Israeli health official says bird migration could bring a
medical, not to mention economic, disaster to Israel, the
Palestinian Authority, and Jordan. He says it's a rare chance for
all sides to work together…‘We
are working together with the Palestinians
and the Jordanians,’ [Dr. Alex] Leventhal [the Director of Public
Heath Services in the Israeli Ministry of Health] said…’We told them
that we are ready to help them to be able to handle their situation.
My teacher taught me an Arabic proverb, “A close neighbor is better
than a distant brother.” I hope to see other countries like
Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt working with us as well.’ Dr. Leventhal
believes, ironically, that such a global threat may create an
opportunity for cooperation and efforts towards peace. He is
optimistic that the world can overcome the pandemic threat…”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3190741,00.html
(Article originally
published in bridges', the Israeli-Palestinian public health
magazine sponsored by World Health Organization and produced by
Palestinian and Israeli academics and health professionals:
www.bridgesmagazine.org)
“A
Palestinian-Israeli Joint Declaration Unveiled At World Bank-HMT
Conference”, World Bank Press Release, December 13, 2005
“A group of
Palestinian and Israeli private sector representatives presented
today a joint Declaration at a
Conference on ‘Promoting Economic Growth in the West Bank and Gaza
through the Private Sector’ in London. The conference was co-hosted
by the World Bank and the United Kingdom Treasury.
The Declaration identified priority areas,
such as security, movement of goods, protection of investors, legal
and regulatory reform and private sector participation in
revitalizing the economy. The Working Group met for the first time
last week in
Jerusalem to discuss issues of common interest and develop a joint
position on matters of economic development. The Declaration
stressed the role of good governance, transparency and
accountability in supporting business…”
Full Declaration:
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/NEWS/Resources/200_MNA_(London_Conference)-attachment.pdf
The current
situation in
Israel
and the Palestinian territories is very fragile; below are several
items outlining pressing security and economic issues.
6.
Israeli and Palestinian
Security and economic issues & resources
“After the
Withdrawal from
Gaza - A
Position Paper”,
The Council for Peace and Security, January 5, 2006
The Council for
Peace and Security is a voluntary Israeli body with no party
political affiliation, bringing together some thousand members, each
with a rich background in fields associated with security and
diplomacy. The Council considers the support of the
Middle East Peace
Process to be a necessary component of National Security. Members
are former officers with the
Israel Defense
Forces (IDF), Mossad, Shin Beth Security Services and
Israel Police,
retired diplomats, directors of Government Ministries and academics
from various fields.
“The Council for Peace and Security
is obliged to redefine continually its strategies in the light of
changing circumstances. To this end it brings to bear all the
know-how and experience of its members in the fields of security and
diplomacy. Set out below is the Council’s position in the light of
recent developments. The ultimate aim is to further peace without
compromising Israel’s security…The Council considers a permanent
settlement with the Palestinians to be essential for Israel’s
security. This is also the case for her long-term existence as a
democratic state...The stage has now been set for Israel to take
further action in order to reach her strategic objectives.
Continued occupation of the Territories and control of the
Palestinian people puts a strategic and moral burden on the State of
Israel. It erodes the institution of law and order, and results in
steadily worsening standards of conduct in Israeli society. The
Council is in favour of striving to reach a settlement by immediate
resumption of negotiations. (But in the present stalemate and
difficulty of negotiating effectively, the option of taking
unilateral action may have to be considered.)…”
http://www.peace-security.org.il/english/articles.asp?id=471
“Security Chaos Deteriorates Daily: Two Egyptian Soldiers Killed by
Palestinian Gunmen on the Egyptian Border, and a Palestinian is
Killed by Gunmen in Gaza”,
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights,
January 5, 2006
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights is an
independent Palestinian human rights organization based in
Gaza
City that was
established in 1995 by a group of Palestinian lawyers and human
rights activists.
“It is clear that there are serious efforts being made to
escalate security tension internally in the OPT [Occupied
Palestinian Territories], and unsettle conditions, in order to
undermine the electoral process, or to hold the elections in
conditions that are not suitable for free and fair elections…”
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/PressR/English/2006/04-2006.htm
“The Palestinian
Economy and Prospects for its Recovery: Economic Monitoring Report
to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, Number 1”, World Bank, December
15, 2005
“…Sustained economic growth in the
West Bank and Gaza
is a vital part of the process of political normalization. As the
World Bank wrote in December 2004, ‘While prosperity is no guarantee
of tranquility, history teaches that the opposite is true: that
destitution, political instability and violence are constant
companions’. Jim Wolfensohn, the Quartet Special Envoy for
Disengagement, has continually emphasized the need to create
Palestinian economic momentum, and its connection with Israel’s
security…”
Full Report:
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWESTBANKGAZA/Data/20751555/EMR.pdf
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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
Assistant at 202-543-1222 or at
Julie@cmep.org.
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