1. November Summit: Risks and Possibilities

2. Olmert-Abbas Meetings: Convergence or Divergence?

3. Focus on Gaza: Civilians Caught Amidst Violence and Politics

4. Jerusalem News: Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif Digging Controversy; Settlements, Roads and the Impact of the Barrier in East Jerusalem

5. Conflicts Threaten Middle East Christianity: A Look at Iraq’s Christians

Washington’s summer break is over and the November Israeli-Arab summit is top on Middle East policymakers’ minds.  What will the agenda be?  Who will be at the table?  As of yet, there are still no concrete plans or final invitation lists.  Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas continue to meet regularly.  Quartet Envoy Tony Blair is currently in the region with a meeting of the Quartet expected on Sept. 23^rd, just before the United Nations General Assembly, and Secretary Rice is expected to visit the region again next week.  For all those committed to ending the Israeli-Arab conflict, expectation and optimism about the November summit are tempered by the discouraging possibility that a conference not well-planned or well-executed could fail to produce a reinvigorated peace process and could instead prompt a further breakdown, with ramifications felt throughout the Middle East. 

Marking the 6^th anniversary of Sept. 11^th in a Sunday Washington Post op-ed, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, 9/11 Commission chair and vice-chair, cited the unresolved Israeli-Arab conflict as a key contributing factor to rising extremism throughout the region and recommend a “vigorous diplomatic effort, with the visible, active support of the president”.  As we reflect on the past and look ahead to possibilities for peace, this week also marks the start of Rosh Hashanah, the New Year according to the Jewish calendar, and Ramadan, the holy month of fasting according to the Muslim calendar.  Churches for Middle East Peace sends best wishes to our Jewish and Muslim friends—may these celebrations provide encouragement for the kind of sustained, committed and compassionate peacemaking that will be necessary for the season ahead.  As the Vatican said on Sept. 6^th, after a meeting of Pope Benedict with Israeli Pres. Peres, “All sides should make every effort to respond to the expectations of the populations, which have been exhausted by a crisis that has lasted 60 years and that continues to spread grief and destruction.” 

1.    NOVEMBER SUMMIT: RISKS AND POSSIBILITIES   

Looking ahead to the November Israeli-Arab summit, now is the time for serious and thoughtful preparation.  To have the positive impact that is so sorely needed, substantive political issues must be addressed, the groundwork for negotiations on final status issues must be laid, and the list of attendees must go beyond the usual line-up. The risks of failure are great.  If the conference turns out to be nothing more than a diplomatic exercise, the forces that oppose a two-state settlement will be the primary beneficiaries.  Below are updates and commentary related to the upcoming Israeli-Arab summit.   

“Daily [State Department] Press Briefing”, Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman, Washington, DC, August 28, 2007 

QUESTION: And there are no further details about the conference? 

MR. CASEY: No, in terms of the international meeting itself, we are still working on specific dates and venue for it. Again, I think we are continuing consultations with not only the Israelis and Palestinians, but with a variety of other players in the region, including some of our friends and allies in neighboring states.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2007/aug/91533.htm

“The Middle East needs peace, not another symbolic photograph”, Editorial, The Daily Star, September 6, 2007

“…To date, it remains unclear what the real objectives of the meetings will be. Arab leaders have expressed fears that it is aimed solely at winning a photograph of Israeli, Saudi, and other Arab officials side by side…Arab League chief Amr Moussa warned on Wednesday that if the conference is merely ‘a meaningless and useless political demonstration’ the consequences would pose a serious threat to regional stability. Moussa and other Arab leaders know very well that repeated failures to achieve progress toward a peace agreement have contributed to a rise in extremism across the region, putting moderate Arab regimes under enormous stress...”

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&article_id=85061&categ_id=17

“November's Peace Summit: Some Guidelines for the Perplexed”, Daniel Levy, Prospects for Peace Blog, August 30, 2007

“…a certain expectation is developing in the region, though it is not yet felt in Washington (and it is perhaps unlikely to be, given Iraq's dominance of the agenda post-Labor Day), that Israeli-Palestinian political issues may be fast-tracked toward an outcome in November. Olmert and Abbas have twice held preliminary discussions on permanent status issues in four eyes, and are due to meet again soon. After that a decision is expected to be taken on establishing teams to possibly begin a drafting process. The US has approached the Arab states and Saudi Arabia in particular to secure their buy-in for November. Ehud Olmert has polled his own public and discovered that they support such an effort.  Issues such as future borders, division of Jerusalem and refugee resettlement are being aired for the first time in seven years, and there has been a flurry of diplomatic activity.  I just spent ten days back in the region to get a sense of where things are at -- meeting with very senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, and catching up with old acquaintances, analysts, and policy wonks.   This piece is an attempt to address ten questions about the prospective November summit. At the outset I should state that such an effort could be very encouraging if it is done right, but could also be rather dangerous if it's part of a more-of-the-same policy…” 

http://www.prospectsforpeace.com/2007/08/novembers_peace_summit_some_gu.html

“A road map for diplomacy”, Kenneth W. Stein, The Jerusalem Post, August 21, 2007

“Over the last 70 years, more than half a dozen Middle East peace conferences have been planned or convened…Common to the three most successful conferences - Geneva in 1973, Camp David in 1978 and Madrid in 1991: They were not ends in and of themselves, but instead led to substantive agreements and additional discussions…Before invitations to attend are issued, each side will want certain guarantees or understandings from whomever convenes the conference. How the conference is structured - public presentations, multilateral talks, bilateral talks, convened under certain UN Resolutions - and even the shape of the table all matters. These procedures often drown out the substance, but only temporarily. Politicians, editorial writers and analysts will do their best to tell you why a conference has no worth, why it will be a bust, and that it is only being held to save, prolong or enhance a political career. Finally, we have learned recently that elections and constitutions do not make democracy. Likewise, peace conferences do not make peace. Only leaders with vision, political will and the courage to compromise can do both.”

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1187502436780&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer

“Internal complications”, Ghassan Khatib, Bitterlemons, Edition 31, August 20, 2007

“The Bush initiative to convene an international meeting on the Middle East has caused contradicting reactions in the region. Some politicians and analysts, particularly in Israel and Palestine, have greeted the initiative with optimism. They believe that as a result, a political process may be reactivated along with the American engagement that the conflict has long been waiting for. They see in this plan an attempt to reverse American support for former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon's unilateral approach and a return to the bilateral process that the US has traditionally supported. But others have been very skeptical about the real American motives and the ability of this administration to deliver anything positive on the Middle East…With regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, two factors mitigate against optimistic scenarios regarding an historic breakthrough before the end of US President George W. Bush' term. The first is the internal Israeli political scene and the second is internal Palestinian divisions…”

http://www.bitterlemons.org/previous/bl200807ed31.html#pal1

2.     OLMERT-ABBAS MEETINGS: CONVERGENCE OR DIVERGENCE?  

“Olmert, Abbas Discuss ‘Core Issues’ for Peace”, Scott Wilson, Washington Post, August 28, 2007

“Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas discussed in broad terms Tuesday the issues most important to the creation of a Palestinian state in advance of a U.S.-sponsored peace conference proposed for this fall.  Israeli government officials said the nearly three-hour session, the latest in a series of meetings between the leaders that have been encouraged by the Bush administration, touched on as-yet-unfulfilled pledges by Olmert to Abbas to improve living conditions for Palestinians. But Israeli government spokesman David Baker said the leaders, in their private session, also discussed ‘fundamental issues that are essential to achieving the two-states-for-two-peoples objective’…Abbas told Palestinian news media before the Tuesday meeting that an international conference this fall would be a ‘waste of time’ unless ‘core issues’ are taken up formally. Following the meeting, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told reporters here that Tuesday's session addressed statehood but ‘did not reach the level of details’…”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/28/AR2007082801183.html

“Israel: West Bank-Gaza Safe Passage Can be Part of Territorial Exchange”, Akiva Eldar, Haaretz, August 23, 2007

“Israel has proposed that safe passage for the Palestinians from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip be included in an exchange of territory with the Palestinians in the framework of the agreement of principles now being formulated ahead of the upcoming regional summit…A senior official involved in talks with the Palestinians said that the agreement of principles will not set out the details of the land to be transfered to the Palestinians in exchange for Israel's settlement blocs, but will reflect as wide as possible a consensus on the core issues with some ambiguity. The details will be hammered out in negotiations after the summit…Sources close to Abbas say the PA chairman has removed his objection to the establishment of a state with temporary borders following the signing of the agreement of principles, but has conditioned his agreement on international assurances of a timetable for the end of negotiations on permanent borders.  Internal discussions in Israel along with talks with the Palestinians are formulating the following positions...While the U.S. did not plan the agenda of the summit ahead of time, it sees the agreement of principles as key to the summit's success and is encouraging the parties to move ahead on it before the summit. The Americans believe the agreement greatly improves the chances that Saudi Arabia will take part in the summit, and will back Abbas and Fayad politically and economically. To connect the regional summit to the Saudi and Arab initiatives, the Saudis and the Palestinians want the summit to relate to the Israel-Syrian issue as well.”

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/896595.html 

3.     FOCUS ON GAZA: CIVILIANS CAUGHT AMIDST VIOLENCE AND POLITICS

Under Hamas control, Gaza is almost entirely isolated and internal Palestinian politics, Israeli military operations and violence by Palestinian militants are all playing out amidst a captive Gazan population.  An upsurge in Palestinian Qassam rocket attacks has created fear and panic among the Israeli people of Sderot, prompting some in Israel to suggest “pulling the plug” on Gaza’s water, fuel and electricity, while others are arguing why this would be both ineffective and immoral.  Meanwhile, the humanitarian and economic situation within Gaza remain dire with little reason to hope for improvement in the near future.  Below are articles and reports detailing the current situation.  

“Israel May Cut Gaza Fuel, Water if Attacks Persist”, The Associated Press, September 5, 2007

“Israeli leaders ruled out a large-scale military response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip but threatened on Wednesday to cut off electricity or other vital supplies to the impoverished area if militants keep up attacks.  Pictures of panicked Israeli children and parents running for cover as the school year began in the battered town of Sderot have dominated news in Israel this week. The government has been forced to address growing anger and frustration over the inability of the high-tech military to counter the crude Palestinian weapons.  Israeli media quoted Defense Minister Ehud Barak as saying the need for a large operation in Gaza is approaching. But the Security Cabinet, made up of senior ministers, rejected an all-out offensive to move Israeli communities out of range by taking control of the areas where militants fire rockets.   The Israeli leadership said that for now it ordered an examination of options ‘to hit the services that supply the Gaza Strip from the state of Israel.’ Gaza, which was taken over by Hamas militants in June, remains dependent on Israel for much of its electricity, fuel and water.  Sari Bashi, director of the Israeli human rights group Gisha, said halting vital services to Gaza amounted to illegal collective punishment. ‘Deliberately targeting civilians, in Gaza or Sderot, is neither legal nor moral,’ she said…”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20612584/

Also See: “Faced with Sderot and Gaza”, Editorial, Haaretz, September 6, 2007

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/901377.html

“Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories: Stop Putting Children at Risk, Tank Fire Kills 5 Children in Gaza; 15-year-old Reported Arrested Bearing Explosives”, Human Rights Watch, September 1, 2007

“Israeli security forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to endanger children and should immediately halt practices risking children’s lives, Human Rights Watch said today.   On August 28, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tank fired a shell that killed 10-year-old Muhammad Abu Ghazala, his 12-year-old cousin Yahya Abu Ghazala, and a 10-year-old relative, Sarah Abu Ghazala, outside the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. The IDF initially claimed the children had been ‘handling [rocket] launchers’ in fields near their home. Subsequently, the IDF said surveillance footage of the incident indicated that the children had been playing in the vicinity of the launchers.  A week earlier, on August 21, an IDF tank shell fired at ‘suspicious images’ near rocket launchers in the Beit Hanoun area, killing two other children, aged 9 and 12, and seriously injuring another. The IDF after that incident said the persons targeted had been ‘handling the launchers’.  ‘Rocket launchers constitute legitimate military objectives, and Palestinian armed groups endanger civilians when they place them near residential areas,’ said Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East division. ‘But Israeli forces must take all feasible precautions when conducting attacks to avoid unnecessary loss of civilian life, especially of children.’…”  

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/09/01/isrlpa16786.htm

“When the Lights Went Out in Gaza”, Tim McGirk, Time Magazine, August 23, 2007
 

“Last Friday, the lights went out in Gaza because the electric bill wasn't being paid. The European Union which, for humanitarian reasons, is financing the Palestinian enclave's power supply, suddenly refused to continue the subsidy because of allegations that Gaza's government - run by the Islamist party Hamas - was about to tax electricity to bolster its armed militants. Ever since those same militants ousted the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last June - thereby creating two Palestinian territories, in Gaza and in the West Bank - western governments have refused to send aid that would in any way assist Hamas's armed ambitions. And with the electricity thus tainted, the E.U. cut off payments. The Israeli power company supplying half of Gaza's fuel just as promptly shut off supplies.   On Wednesday, the lights were coming back on in Gaza. That was after Ismael Haniyeh, Prime Minister of Gaza's Hamas-led government, assured the E.U. that electricity funds were being properly utilized. The 1.5 million Palestinians who live in the tiny strip of land on the Mediterranean, however, were seething - not at Haniyeh and Hamas but at Abbas, who sat out this crisis in air-conditioned comfort farther inland in the West Bank with his supporters in Fatah, the other main Palestinian group. Why blame Abbas? Because the Gazans believe he is trying force them to rebel against Hamas and that he is doing this by breaking their backs. ..Whatever the theory behind the siege of Gaza, so far it has only gained Abbas more enemies - and strengthened support for Hamas.”

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1655267,00.html

 “Gaza Strip: UN official warns of worsening humanitarian conditions”, UN News Centre, 21 August 2007

“A senior United Nations official in the Middle East today voiced concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation inside the Gaza Strip, where the closure of border crossings and other restrictions have cut exports and forced factories to shut, leaving tens of thousands of Palestinians without jobs or income. Kevin Kennedy, the Deputy UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said in a statement that while the basic humanitarian needs of Gaza’s estimated population of 1.4 million people are largely being met, the conditions remain very difficult. UN officials have warned repeatedly in recent weeks that the closure of border crossings since intra-Palestinian violence flared in May and June and Hamas took control of the territory is threatening Gaza’s economic sustainability. Factories in import-dependent industries have had to close because of a lack of basic materials, and other businesses are also suffering because they are unable to export their products. Mr. Kennedy said ‘tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs and income’ as a result. He added that UN relief agencies are facing increased demands to provide humanitarian assistance and ‘much remains to be done’ to help the people of Gaza.”

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=23558&Cr=palestin&Cr1=  

Events in Jerusalem continue to prompt controversy and potential conflict, highlighting the urgent need to ensure access and security for the two peoples and three faiths and find a solution for the city, as part of a durable two-state solution.   

·         Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif Digging: Controversy

In early July an underground electrical cable running under a public plaza of the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif failed, cutting electricity to the Dome of the Rock.  Repairs were undertaken by the Muslim authorities, the Waqf, which prompted controversy given the extreme sensitivity of the place.  Earlier this year, Israeli digging around the Mugrahbi gate, leading to the Temple Mount/ Haram al Sharif and adjacent to the Western Wall plaza, had prompted Arab and Muslim fears.  Below is an article detailing some of the Israeli concerns, followed by a detailed analysis of the situation by Ir Amim, an Israeli organization focused on Israeli-Palestinian relations in Jerusalem and the political future of the city. 

“Israeli anger over holy site work”, Martin Asser, BBC News, Jerusalem, August 28, 2007

“A group of Israeli archaeologists is protesting about fresh excavations at Jerusalem's holiest religious shrine, saying it threatens priceless relics. Muslim authorities at al-Aqsa mosque, also venerated by Jews as the Temple Mount, are digging a 150-metre trench for water pipes and electricity cables. Israeli critics say the work is causing irreparable damage, indiscriminately piling up earth and carved stones. Mosque officials insist it is urgent infrastructure work doing no damage.  The Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount compound is the Middle East's most sensitive disputed religious site.  Competing claims have been a catalyst for violence in the recent past and determining its fate lies at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Jewish tradition reveres the area as the remains of King Solomon's temple, while Muslim tradition has it as the location of the Prophet Muhammad's ascent into heaven…”  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6967457.stm

“Digging on the Temple Mount”, [based on summary by] Daniel Seidmann, Ir Amim Jerusalem Bulletin,  July 2007

“Over the past week or so, there have been reports in the Israeli press of digging on the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif, carried out by the Waqf.  While there is some truth in these reports, the bulk of what has been published tends to be exaggerated.  For this reason, we believe it is important to set the record straight.  On July 8, 2007, an underground electrical cable, running under a public plaza, failed.  The result was the cut-off of electricity to an adjacent building.  These things happen and they surprise nobody, particularly when the infrastructure in question is 43 years-old, as was the case here.  And anywhere else on the planet what would have followed would have been a question of routine maintenance and repair, solved by the local custodial engineer.  In this case, however, the plaza under which the cable lay was the plaza atop the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif, and the building whose electricity was cut was the Dome of the Rock.  Clearly, repairs were required.  However, given the extreme sensitivity of the site, the Israeli authorities balked.  Nothing in Israel is more sensitive than excavations on or near the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif, and Israel only recently got burned when it failed to take these sensitivities into account in its handling of the rebuilding of the Mughrabi.  Israeli authorities were concerned, rightly, that digging on the Mount/Haram would inflame Jewish and Israeli fears, just as digging in the Mughrabi Gate vicinity had inflamed Arab and Muslims fears…” 

http://www.ir-amim.org.il/eng/  

Also See: A full summary by Ir Amim of the events surrounding the Mughrabi Gate incident.

·         East Jerusalem: Settlements, Roads and Impact of Barrier

The future of East Jerusalem, a “final status” issue subject to negotiations, is further complicated, and potentially compromised, by the encroachment of Israeli settlements, building of segregated roads and the route of Israel’s separation barrier, all of which are detailed below. 

“Land Grab in East Jerusalem”, Editorial, Haaretz, August 20, 2007

“It is difficult to escape the sense that the Israel Lands Administration, a governmental body, worked hand in glove with the settlers' non-profit organization Ateret Cohanim to take control of the 30-dunam (7.5-acre) plot in East Jerusalem known as Kerem Hamufti…This plot, one of the most expensive and desirable in East Jerusalem, is located on the slopes of the Sheikh Jarra neighborhood, facing the ridge of Mt. Scopus…The goal of the national-religious NGOs in purchasing property in East Jerusalem is ideological and political, but that does not justify breaking the law or the standards of good government… the practice of placing the settlers above the law, which has been discussed at length in the context of the West Bank, has reached East Jerusalem.”

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/895165.html

Also see:  “ILA leasing Arab-owned land in J'lem to Ateret Cohanim”, Meron Rapoport, Haaretz, August 21, 2007, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/895136.html

“A Segregated Road in an Already Divided Land”, Steven Erlanger, New York Times, August 11, 2007

“Israel is constructing a road through the West Bank, east of Jerusalem, that will allow both Israelis and Palestinians to travel along it — separately.  There are two pairs of lanes, one for each tribe, separated by a tall wall of concrete patterned to look like Jerusalem stones, an effort at beautification indicating that the road is meant to be permanent. The Israeli side has various exits; the Palestinian side has few…” 

View Article in full

“East Jerusalem: The Humanitarian Impact of the West Bank Barrier”, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), July 2007

“This report examines the humanitarian, social and economic consequences of the Barrier on East Jerusalem. The construction of the Barrier, in conjunction with other restrictions, has meant that Palestinians living in the West Bank can no longer travel freely into East Jerusalem, the city that has been the religious,social and economic centre of their lives for centuries.”

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/Jerusalem-30July2007.pdf

5.    CONFLICTS THREATEN MIDDLE EAST CHRISTIANITY: A LOOK AT IRAQ'S CHRISTIANS

The upheaval in Iraq has caused thousands of Christians, along with Muslim Iraqis, to leave.  This has resulted in a severe refugee problem in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.  The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to cause Palestinian Christians to emigrate, with the poor economic situation and the route of the separation barrier in the Jerusalem and Bethlehem area making daily life very difficult.  Christians in the Middle East, by their presence and preference for secular democracy, have played an important role in their societies.  Their flight is depleting the region of its natural pluralism and diversity.   Below is an article detailing the situation of Iraq’s Christians.  For background on Palestinian Christians, see CMEP’s resource, “FAQ’s on the Situation of Palestinian Christians”. 

“Under Siege: Iraq’s Christians”, Michael J.L. La Civita, ONE Magazine, Catholic Near East Welfare Association [A Papal Agency for Humanitarian and Pastoral Support], Vol 33:4, July, 2007

“As Iraq implodes, Christendom is witnessing the demise of one of its oldest churches. Not since the World War I era — the last major Western incursion into the Middle East before the present — has a Middle Eastern Christian community battled extinction.  In the waning days of World War I, as the British and French poised their troops to carve up the Ottoman Empire, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists accused their Christian minorities of complicity and treason. Up to two million Armenian, Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac Christians died: Hundreds of thousands were murdered; others died of starvation, disease and exposure to the elements as entire villages were uprooted and deported.  Those lucky enough to survive found refuge in the Middle East’s burgeoning cities: Armenians in Beirut and Damascus; Assyrians, Chaldeans and Syriac Christians in Baghdad and Mosul. While Beirut and Damascus are not exploding, Mosul simmers and Baghdad is aflame. Those Christians who once found protection in Baghdad’s ancient center — and prospered — are now fleeing to Jordan and Syria, from which they hope to settle permanently in Europe, North America and Oceania…In April, at an international conference in Geneva called by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the U.N. agency confirmed what Pope John Paul II had said days before the war: The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has unleashed militant, sectarian strife there, devastating Iraq and its neighbors… Iraqis of all classes, ethnicities and religions have been affected by the violence…But Iraq’s Christian, Mandaean, Turkmen and Yazidi minorities have taken an especially brutal drubbing, usually at the hands of either Sunni extremists or Shiite militiamen, all of whom have stepped up their attacks since 1 August 2004…”

http://www.cnewa.org/mag-article-bodypg-us.aspx?articleID=3279

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