The NEGOTIATION and ITS DISCONTENTS

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The NEGOTIATION and ITS DISCONTENTS The ANNAPOLIS PROCESS (2007-2008) NEGOTIATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS Omer Zanany The Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research Translation: Michelle Bubis Design: Yosef Bercovich ISBN: 978-965-555-926-2 Printed in Jerusalem ©2015 - The Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv & Molad - the Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy. All rights reserved. The Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research The ANNAPOLIS PROCESS (2007-2008) Negotiation and its Discontents Omer Zanany The Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research THE TAMI STEINMETZ CENTER FOR PEACE RESEARCH The Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research which was established in 1992 is an interdisciplinary academic unit at Tel Aviv University. Its mandate is to promote academic activity related to conflict resolution and peace-making, with special reference to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Within this framework, the center: • Initiates, encourages and supports research projects on subjects related to its mandate both in the Middle East and in other regions of the world. • Holds research workshops and local and international conferences dealing with relevant subjects. • Fosters academic collaboration with similarly oriented institutions in Israel and abroad. Molad is an independent, non-partisan Israeli think tank that works to reinvigorate Israeli society by injecting new ideas into all spheres of public discourse. Our vision combines progressive values with a realistic approach to the political and geopolitical challenges of Israeli reality. We inform public debate with responsible content that meets the highest possible standards of research and analysis – the dearth of which has played a crucial role in Israel’s ongoing state of crisis. Molad’s rigorous multi-disciplinary research offers fresh alternatives to stagnant political discourse in and about Israel. While we guard our intellectual independence and reject affiliation with any political party, person, or movement, Molad does not present itself as a-political. We believe that the solutions to Israel’s security threats and social and economic ills lie in a democratic system that will embody the interests and true ambitions of its citizens. Table of Contents Contents 6 Introduction 9 Summary 15 Chapter 1: Background and opening conditions 28 s Time for a Historical Agreement„ 34׳s Play Peace Talks„ or „It׳Let„ The Annapolis Declaration: „Walking on Eggshells„ 39 Chapter 2: Management of the Annapolis process 43 Guiding principles 43 The aim of the Annapolis process: Principles? Framework agreement? 52 Permanent-status agreement? One process - two tracks 53 track 53 ׳The Livni-Abu Alaa The Olmert-Abbas track 67 Chapter 3: Basic concepts and positions in the 73 Annapolis process Terms of Reference (TOR) 73 What is a viable Palestinian state? 75 Demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state 80 Analysis of the differences over the four core issues 84 Territory and borders 85 Security 110 Jerusalem 132 Refugees 143 s proposal and the 156׳Chapter 4: Comparison of Olmert Taba talks Foreword 156 Progress on secondary points, differences over core issues 157 s proposal 161׳Conclusion: Olmert Chapter 5: Conclusions and recommendations 166 s proposal 182׳Appendix A - Olmert Appendix B - Summary of positions presented in the 185 professional committees Bibliography 207 Acknowledgements 220 About the author 224 9 INTRODUCTION Israeli author Amos Oz once explained his view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by comparing its possible ending to that of a play: “There’s the Shakespeare tradition of resolving a tragedy with the stage hewed with dead bodies and justice of sorts prevails; but there is also the Chekhov tradition. In the conclusion of the tragedy by Chekhov, everyone is disappointed, disillusioned, embittered, heartbroken, but alive. And my colleagues and I have been working, trying… not to find the sentimental happy ending, a brotherly love, a sudden honeymoon to the Israeli-Palestinian tragedy, but a Chekhovian ending, which means clenched teeth compromise” (PBS 2002). Could the Annapolis talks have truly resolved the Israeli-Palestinian tragedy, in one way or another, or were they yet another chapter in a never-ending story? To quote New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman (2007), was the Annapolis process an oasis or a mirage? The dual-track Israeli-Palestinian negotiations held in 2007 and 2008, later dubbed “the Annapolis process”, were only the second time (after the Camp David and Taba talks in 2000-2001) that both sides made an official attempt, with close US assistance, to finalize a permanent-status agreement and promote the two-state solution.1 Aims This study offers a comprehensive examination of what actually took place in Annapolis process, and of the extent to which the talks furthered Israeli-Palestinian dialogue over 1. Between these two official rounds, several unofficial attempts were made that significantly impacted both public and governmental opinion. Most prominent among these were the 2002 Ayalon-Nusseibeh Agreement and the 2003 Geneva Accord. For details on all peace process initiatives, cf. Henry Fishman & Ephraim Lavie (2010), The Peace Process: Seventeen Plans in Ten Years – An Assessment of the Initiatives to Resolve the Israeli Palestinian Conflict Over the Past Decade. Tel Aviv: The Palestine Center for Strategic Studies and the Peres Center for Peace. 10 The ANNAPOLIS PROCESS (2007-2008) core issues with an end to reaching a permanent-status agreement. The analysis yields several recommendations for future negotiations, which would require adaptation to the strategic context at the time. Methodology The study used net assessment to analyze both content matter and strategic management issues concerning the main actors in the Annapolis process – a systemic approach that goes beyond examination of their positions on certain issues. This integrative approach crosscuts all major issues to examine how the process itself was managed and what differences between the parties emerged. In addition to providing historical details of what actually occurred both in and around the talks, the study aims to deepen comprehension of the conceptual gaps that dogged the parties over years of negotiation, illuminating the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The study is based on unique primary sources, including hundreds of summaries of negotiation sessions and work meetings, and position papers prepared by the Palestinians throughout the process.2 The author also interviewed key Israeli and Palestinian officials, both governmental and professional, who participated in the Annapolis talks. Other sources used are academic studies and journalistic information and analysis concerning the peace process over the years. 2. The papers were leaked by a member of the Palestinian Negotiation Support Unit (NSU) to Qatari network Al Jazeera and British newspaper The Guardian. They now appear online under the title “The Palestine Papers” – cf. details in the following chapters. INTRODUCTION 11 The takeaway message Although some progress was made in the Annapolis talks towards a permanent-status agreement, the process was marked by faulty preparation, inadequate management, and problematic guidelines, all of which ultimately hampered both parties’ ability to take significant steps forward. This was the case despite the unusual degree of trust achieved between former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, both of whom declared their willingness to make historical strategic decisions in order to promote a final agreement. For example, the study demonstrates how the conceptual confusion, primarily on the Israeli side – between the different approaches of graded interim agreements (influenced by the Road Map), unilateral separation, and negotiating a permanent-status agreement – heightened the mutual mistrust, dragging the parties into futile, unfocused negotiations and generating broad conceptual differences on various issues. Another drawback was the choice to hold talks in separate tracks and adopt inhibitive guiding principles (e.g. “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”). Together with the marked absence of clear political guidelines over the core issues, the result was that both teams remained entrenched in their respective positions. These procedural faults were exacerbated by the deep mistrust between the Israeli and Palestinian establishments, which was fuelled by political constraints on either side. Hesitant and purportedly balanced involvement on the part of the US did not help to mitigate these difficulties. The first chapter provides a brief overview of both the strategic context and the political and security challenges that informed the talks, highlighting the convergence of the main actors’ interests and the mistrust between Israel and the Palestinians. Also addressed is the central role played by the U.S, which initiated and facilitated exposure of the process largely to serve its own image, without formulating an effective strategy for furthering a peace agreement. The two world-views that guided the parties are also examined: the “process for process” approach – primarily a conflict management tool – on one hand, and genuine motivation to achieve a permanent-status agreement on the other. 12 The ANNAPOLIS PROCESS (2007-2008) The second chapter examines how the process was managed and the guiding principles established: “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed” and simultaneous “top- down”
Recommended publications
  • Israel: Background and U.S
    Israel: Background and U.S. Relations Casey L. Addis Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs February 14, 2011 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL33476 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Israel: Background and U.S. Relations Summary On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel declared its independence and was immediately engaged in a war with all of its neighbors. Armed conflict has marked every decade of Israel’s existence. Despite its unstable regional environment, Israel has developed a vibrant parliamentary democracy, albeit with relatively fragile governments. The most recent national elections were held on February 10, 2009, ahead of schedule. Although the Kadima Party placed first, parties holding 65 seats in the 120-seat Knesset supported opposition Likud party leader Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, who was designated to form a government. Netanyahu’s coalition includes his own Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home), Shas, Habayet Hayehudi (Jewish Home), the United Torah Judaism (UTJ), and the new Ha’atzmout (Independence) party. The coalition controls 66 of 120 Knesset seats. Israel has an advanced industrial, market economy with a large government role. Israel’s foreign policy is focused largely on its region, Europe, and the United States. Israel’s foreign policy agenda begins with Iran, which it views as an existential threat due to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and support for terrorism. Achieving peace with its neighbors is next. Israel concluded peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, but not with Syria and Lebanon. Recent unrest in Egypt is rekindling latent anxiety in Israel about the durability of the peace treaty Egypt and Israel have relied upon for 30 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Gaza-Israel: the Legal and the Military View Transcript
    Gaza-Israel: The Legal and the Military View Transcript Date: Wednesday, 7 October 2015 - 6:00PM Location: Barnard's Inn Hall 07 October 2015 Gaza-Israel: The Legal and Military View Professor Sir Geoffrey Nice QC General Sir Nick Parker For long enough commentators have usually assumed the Israel - Palestine armed conflict might be lawful, even if individual incidents on both sides attracted condemnation. But is that assumption right? May the conflict lack legality altogether, on one side or both? Have there been war crimes committed by both sides as many suggest? The 2014 Israeli – Gaza conflict (that lasted some 52 days and that was called 'Operation Protective Edge' by the Israeli Defence Force) allows a way to explore some of the underlying issues of the overall conflict. General Sir Nick Parker explains how he advised Geoffrey Nice to approach the conflict's legality and reality from a military point of view. Geoffrey Nice explains what conclusions he then reached. Were war crimes committed by either side? Introduction No human is on this earth as a volunteer; we are all created by an act of force, sometimes of violence just as the universe itself arrived by force. We do not leave the world voluntarily but often by the force of disease. As pressed men on earth we operate according to rules of nature – gravity, energy etc. – and the rules we make for ourselves but focus much attention on what to do when our rules are broken, less on how to save ourselves from ever breaking them. That thought certainly will feature in later lectures on prison and sex in this last year of my lectures as Gresham Professor of Law but is also central to this and the next lecture both on Israel and on parts of its continuing conflict with Gaza.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hezbollah-Israeli
    The Hizbullah-Israeli War: an American Perspective Aaron David Miller It was unusual for an Israeli Prime Minster to break open a bottle of champagne in front of American negotiators at a formal meeting. But that’s exactly what Shimon Peres did. It was late April 1996, and Peres was marking the end of a bloody three week border confrontation with Hizbullah diffused only by an intense ten day shuttle orchestrated by Secretary of State Warren Christopher. Those understandings negotiated between the governments of Israel and Syria (the latter standing in for Hizbullah) would create an Israeli-Lebanese monitoring group, co-chaired by the United States and France. These arrangements were far from perfect, but contributed, along with on-again-off-again Israeli-Syrian negotiations, to an extended period of relative calm along the Israeli- Lebanese border. The April understandings would last until Israel’s withdrawal. The recent summer war between Hizbullah and Israel, triggered by the Shia militia’s attack on an Israeli patrol on July 12, masked a number of other factors which would set the stage for the confrontation as well as the Bush administration’s response. Six years of relative quiet had witnessed Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon in June of 2000, a steady supply of Katushya rockets—both short and long range—from Iran to Hizbullah, the collapse of Israel’s negotiations with Syria and the Palestinians, and the onset of the worst Israeli-Palestinian war in half a century. A perfect storm was brewing, spawned by the empowerment of both Hizbullah and Hamas, Iranian reach into the Arab-Israeli zone, Syria’s forced withdrawal from Lebanon, a determination by Israel to restore its strategic deterrence in the wake of unilateral withdrawals from Lebanon and Gaza, and an inexperienced Israeli prime minister and defense minister uncertain of how that should be done.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of People-To-People Programs in the Current Israeli-Palestinian
    The Power of Possibility: The Role of People-to-People Programs in the Current Israeli- Palestinian Reality Forum Israel Shira Herzog and Avivit Hai ECF economic cooperation foundation © 2005 by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Israel Office P.O.Box 12235 Herzliya 46733, Israel Editor: Hermann Bünz Layout: Jaffa Cohen Printing: Ra'ayon All rights reserved. Editorial The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is a non-profit organisation with ideological roots in the German and international labour movement. Out of a profound commitment to social justice and peaceful coexistence both within societies and between nations, the Friedrich- Ebert-Stiftung office in Israel contributes to - Strengthening German-Israeli relations - Facilitating the peace process and regional co-operation - Improving labour relations - Working for gender equality and women's empowerment - Democracy education for youth - Policy consulting and information Together with its partners, the Israel office of the Friedrich-Ebert- Stiftung regularly holds public forums and workshops which address the above-mentioned topics. Authoritative representatives from the political, social, economic, and academic worlds are invited to take part in these encounters. Lectures and addresses given at these events, as well as conference summaries, are reproduced in this series of brochures, entitled "Israel Forum". The series is also intended for the presentation of policy analyses and research results which constitute the backdrop to such public forums. www.fes.org.il Opening Note The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the Economic Cooperation Foundation (ECF) are pleased to support this publication, "The Power of Possibility – the Role of People-to-People in the Current Israeli-Palestinian Reality." The last few months have seen dramatic changes in the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.
    [Show full text]
  • Arrested Development: the Long Term Impact of Israel's Separation Barrier in the West Bank
    B’TSELEM - The Israeli Information Center for ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Human Rights in the Occupied Territories 8 Hata’asiya St., Talpiot P.O. Box 53132 Jerusalem 91531 The Long Term Impact of Israel's Separation Tel. (972) 2-6735599 | Fax (972) 2-6749111 Barrier in the West Bank www.btselem.org | [email protected] October 2012 Arrested Development: The Long Term Impact of Israel's Separation Barrier in the West Bank October 2012 Research and writing Eyal Hareuveni Editing Yael Stein Data coordination 'Abd al-Karim Sa'adi, Iyad Hadad, Atef Abu a-Rub, Salma a-Deb’i, ‘Amer ‘Aruri & Kareem Jubran Translation Deb Reich Processing geographical data Shai Efrati Cover Abandoned buildings near the barrier in the town of Bir Nabala, 24 September 2012. Photo Anne Paq, activestills.org B’Tselem would like to thank Jann Böddeling for his help in gathering material and analyzing the economic impact of the Separation Barrier; Nir Shalev and Alon Cohen- Lifshitz from Bimkom; Stefan Ziegler and Nicole Harari from UNRWA; and B’Tselem Reports Committee member Prof. Oren Yiftachel. ISBN 978-965-7613-00-9 Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................ 5 Part I The Barrier – A Temporary Security Measure? ................. 7 Part II Data ....................................................................... 13 Maps and Photographs ............................................................... 17 Part III The “Seam Zone” and the Permit Regime ..................... 25 Part IV Case Studies ............................................................ 43 Part V Violations of Palestinians’ Human Rights due to the Separation Barrier ..................................................... 63 Conclusions................................................................................ 69 Appendix A List of settlements, unauthorized outposts and industrial parks on the “Israeli” side of the Separation Barrier .................. 71 Appendix B Response from Israel's Ministry of Justice .......................
    [Show full text]
  • Hamas in Power
    PALESTINIANS, ISRAEL, AND THE QUARTET: PULLING BACK FROM THE BRINK Middle East Report N°54 – 13 June 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 II. THE INTER-PALESTINIAN STRUGGLE ............................................................... 2 A. HAMAS IN GOVERNMENT ......................................................................................................3 B. FATAH IN OPPOSITION...........................................................................................................9 C. A MARCH OF FOLLY? .........................................................................................................13 D. THE PRISONERS’S INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM................................................................16 III. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND THE PALESTINIAN CRISIS.. 21 A. PA BUDGETARY COSTS, DONOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND DONOR ATTITUDES ..........................21 B. A NATION UNDER SIEGE .....................................................................................................26 C. CAN A HUMANITARIAN COLLAPSE BE AVOIDED WITHOUT DEALING WITH THE PA? ........27 IV. CONCLUSION: WHAT SHOULD BE DONE? ....................................................... 32 A. SUBVERTING HAMAS? ........................................................................................................32 B. STRENGTHENING ABBAS? ...................................................................................................34
    [Show full text]
  • Israel and the Palestinians After the Arab Spring: No Time for Peace
    Istituto Affari Internazionali IAI WORKING PAPERS 12 | 16 – May 2012 Israel and the Palestinians After the Arab Spring: No Time for Peace Andrea Dessì Abstract While spared from internal turmoil, Israel and the Palestinian Territories have nonetheless been affected by the region’s political transformation brought about by the Arab Spring. Reflecting what can be described as Israel’s “bunker” mentality, the Israeli government has characterized the Arab revolutionary wave as a security challenge, notably given its concern about the rise of Islamist forces. Prime Minister Netanyahu has capitalized on this sense of insecurity to justify his government’s lack of significant action when it comes to the peace process. On the Palestinian side, both Hamas and Fatah have lost long-standing regional backers in Egypt and Syria and have had to contend with their increasingly shaky popular legitimacy. This has spurred renewed efforts for reconciliation, which however have so far produced no significant results. Against this backdrop, the chances for a resumption of serious Israeli-Palestinian peace talks appear increasingly dim. An effort by the international community is needed to break the current deadlock and establish an atmosphere more conducive for talks. In this context, the EU carries special responsibility as the only external actor that still enjoys some credibility as a balanced mediator between the sides. Keywords : Israel / Israeli foreign policy / Arab revolts / Egypt / Muslim Brotherhood / Palestine / Gaza / Hamas / Fatah / Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations / European Union © 2012 IAI IAI Working Papers 1216 Israel and the Palestinians After the Arab Spring: No Time for Peace Israel and the Palestinians After the Arab Spring: No Time for Peace by Andrea Dessì ∗ Introduction The outbreak of popular protests throughout the Middle East and North Africa in early 2011 came as a shock to the world.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cabinet Resolution Regarding the Disengagement Plan
    The Cabinet Resolution Regarding the Disengagement Plan 6 June 2004 Addendum A - Revised Disengagement Plan - Main Principles Addendum C - Format of the Preparatory Work for the Revised Disengagement Plan Addendum A - Revised Disengagement Plan - Main Principles 1. Background - Political and Security Implications The State of Israel is committed to the peace process and aspires to reach an agreed resolution of the conflict based upon the vision of US President George Bush. The State of Israel believes that it must act to improve the current situation. The State of Israel has come to the conclusion that there is currently no reliable Palestinian partner with which it can make progress in a two-sided peace process. Accordingly, it has developed a plan of revised disengagement (hereinafter - the plan), based on the following considerations: One. The stalemate dictated by the current situation is harmful. In order to break out of this stalemate, the State of Israel is required to initiate moves not dependent on Palestinian cooperation. Two. The purpose of the plan is to lead to a better security, political, economic and demographic situation. Three. In any future permanent status arrangement, there will be no Israeli towns and villages in the Gaza Strip. On the other hand, it is clear that in the West Bank, there are areas which will be part of the State of Israel, including major Israeli population centers, cities, towns and villages, security areas and other places of special interest to Israel. Four. The State of Israel supports the efforts of the United States, operating alongside the international community, to promote the reform process, the construction of institutions and the improvement of the economy and welfare of the Palestinian residents, in order that a new Palestinian leadership will emerge and prove itself capable of fulfilling its commitments under the Roadmap.
    [Show full text]
  • Globalresearch20131113 Egypt-Gaza Tunnels: the Lifeline Under Threat by Sawsan Ramahi After the Arab-Israeli War in 1948-1949, T
    GlobalResearch20131113 Egypt-Gaza Tunnels: The Lifeline Under Threat By Sawsan Ramahi After the Arab-Israeli war in 1948-1949, the Gaza Strip was left under Egyptian military rule until Israel occupied it during the June 1967 “SixDay War”. When Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the Camp David Peace Treaty with Israel in 1979, the border city of Rafah was divided; part went to the Gaza Strip and the rest stayed with Egypt. With a border zone patrolled by the Israeli army, Palestinian families began digging tunnels under their homes in order to keep in touch with friends and relatives on the Egyptian side. Israel discovered the first tunnel in 1983. After signing the Oslo Accords which saw the creation of the Palestinian Authority in 1993, Israel constructed a high barrier around Gaza and monitored those entering the Gaza Strip through the various border crossings. These were closed with the outbreak of the second, “Al-Aqsa”, Intifada in 2000. The Israelis also bombed Gaza’s only airport and sea port, effectively driving the Palestinians to find alternative ways and means to communicate with the outside world. The old tunnels were revived and used to import necessary goods to compensate for the shortages created by Israel’s strict control over what, and who, could and could not enter the occupied territory. The Israeli army then started to demolish houses which had tunnels, and later expanded their demolition operations to form a buffer zone between the border and Rafah City. According to Human Rights Watch, between 2000 and 2004 about 1,700 homes were demolished to create a 100 metre-wide zone along the border between Gaza and Egypt (known as the Philadelphi Route).
    [Show full text]
  • Progressive Action Guide
    Activist Guide Progressive Action for Human Rights, Peace & Reconciliation in Israel and Palestine Prepared as part of TTN’s Boston & New England Initiative for Progressive Academic Engagement with Israel and Palestine The Third Narrative (TTN) is an initiative of Ameinu 424 West 33rd Street, Suite 150 New York, NY 10001 212-366-1194 Table of contents Introduction 2 Menu of Activist Tactics 3 Advocacy & Political Action in the U.S. Direct Action / Volunteering in Israel and Palestine Investment in a Palestinian State 4 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Education Cultural & Academic Exchange 5 Activist Resources 6 Anti-Occupation Activists: Israel and Palestine Anti-Occupation Activists: North America 8 Coexistence & Dialogue 9 Environmental Initiatives 13 Human Rights 14 Israeli Arab Empowerment and Equality 15 Economic Development Health Initiatives 16 Think Tanks – Public Policy 17 Appendix: Educational Travel in Israel and Palestine 18 1 Introduction If you are pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli and would like to help promote two states, human rights and social justice in Palestine and Israel, this guide is for you. It is meant primarily for North American progressives in colleges and universities, but we believe people in unions, religious organizations and other groups will also find it useful. Currently, one question that is hotly debated on many campuses is whether or not to support the BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement targeting Israel. Often, this conversation diverts attention from a wide range of other political options aimed at ending the Israeli occupation, building a viable Palestinian state, protecting human rights and fostering reconciliation between Jews and Arabs. We have prepared this guide to describe and promote those options.
    [Show full text]
  • Egypt and Israel: Tunnel Neutralization Efforts in Gaza
    WL KNO EDGE NCE ISM SA ER IS E A TE N K N O K C E N N T N I S E S J E N A 3 V H A A N H Z И O E P W O I T E D N E Z I A M I C O N O C C I O T N S H O E L C A I N M Z E N O T Egypt and Israel: Tunnel Neutralization Efforts in Gaza LUCAS WINTER Open Source, Foreign Perspective, Underconsidered/Understudied Topics The Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is an open source research organization of the U.S. Army. It was founded in 1986 as an innovative program that brought together military specialists and civilian academics to focus on military and security topics derived from unclassified, foreign media. Today FMSO maintains this research tradition of special insight and highly collaborative work by conducting unclassified research on foreign perspectives of defense and security issues that are understudied or unconsidered. Author Background Mr. Winter is a Middle East analyst for the Foreign Military Studies Office. He holds a master’s degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and was an Arabic Language Flagship Fellow in Damascus, Syria, in 2006–2007. Previous Publication This paper was originally published in the September-December 2017 issue of Engineer: the Professional Bulletin for Army Engineers. It is being posted on the Foreign Military Studies Office website with permission from the publisher. FMSO has provided some editing, format, and graphics to this paper to conform to organizational standards.
    [Show full text]
  • An Israeli-Palestinian Confederation: a Viable Alternative for the “Two States Solution”?
    An Israeli-Palestinian Confederation: A viable alternative for the “two states solution”? Friedrich Naumann STIFTUNG FÜR DIE FREIHEIT HKS 92 (grau) CMYK 10, 0, 5, 65 HKS 44 (blau) CMYK 100, 50, 0, 0 An Israeli-Palestinian Confederation: A viable alternative for the “two states solution”? Table of Contents Introductory Note Yair Hirschfeld .............................................................................................................................................................. 2 An Israeli-Palestinian Confederation: A viable alternative for the “two states solution”? Eran Etzion ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Israel and Palestine: For and Against the Idea of a Confederation Yair Hirschfeld .............................................................................................................................................................. 20 About the writers ................................................................................................................................................. 31 The repeated failure of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations during the last decades, regional unrest and destabilization throughout the Middle East have contributed to a diminished public belief and confidence in the viability of a peaceful Israel-Palestine two state solution. Through the encouragement and support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, the S.
    [Show full text]