Palestine, Israel and Iraq”

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Palestine, Israel and Iraq” Preface This report constitutes a record of the presentations and discussions at the open symposium “Conflict and Peacebuilding in the Middle East: Palestine, Israel, Iraq” hosted by the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) in Plaza Hall, Kasumigaseki Building, on November 3, 2010 with support from the Japan International Cooperation Foundation (JICF). The Middle East is a prosperous region with a long history, an exceptional cultural heritage and a diverse population and, as a major energy supplier, is an extremely important region for global stability. Unfortunately, the Middle East is also a region plagued with numerous conflicts. What are the circumstances and backgrounds of these conflicts in the Middle East and what measures might be considered to resolve these conflicts and build peace? This symposium organized panels covering three topics: the intransigent Palestine-Israel conflict, the still-tense situation in Iraq, and conflict resolution and peacebuilding in the Middle East as a whole. Presentations were made by leading Japanese researchers who have studied these issues over many long years and by leading foreign researchers from the Middle East who have endeavored as interested parties to resolve these issues. These presentations were followed by comments from younger researchers who in future will be endeavoring to resolve the Middle East’s conflicts and by discussions based on questions from the floor. The vigorous discussions on various issues currently confronting the Middle East among leading and up-and-coming researchers from Middle Eastern countries and from Japan as well as among general audience members not only contributed to strengthening ties between these Middle Eastern countries and Japan but also helped deepen awareness of the Middle East in Japan. Systemic changes driven by large-scale popular movements have been underway since January of this year in the Arab countries of the Middle East, and the presentations and discussions at this symposium undoubtedly provided valuable knowledge for understanding these rapid developments in the Middle East. It should be noted that the views documented herein are solely those of the individuals expressing them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of JIIA. Let me close by once again conveying my sincerest gratitude to the presenters and discussants who actively participated in this symposium and offered extremely meaningful presentations and comments, and to everyone who assisted us in organizing and holding this symposium. March 2011 Yoshiji NOGAMI President The Japan Institute of International Affairs i Open Symposium on “Conflicts and Peacebuilding in the Middle East:Palestine, Israel and Iraq” Organized by: The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) Supported by: by the Japan International Cooperation Foundation Date: Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 Venue : The Tokai University Club, Tokyo Program 10:15-10:30 Opening Address Amb. Yoshiji NOGAMI, President, The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) 10:30-12:30 1st Panel: “ Present Situation and Prospect of the Palestine-Israel Peace Process: Mutual Understanding and Efforts toward Progress Moderator: Prof Akifumi IKEDA, Vice-President, Toyo Eiwa University Presenters: Brigadier General (retired) Shlomo Brom, Senior Research Fellow, The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), “Present Situation and Prospect of the Palestine-Israel Peace Process” Dr Omar DAJANI, Professor, McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, “The Myth of Defensible Borders: Toward a Redefinition of Security in Palestinian-Israeli Peacemaking” Panelists: Mr Assaf David, Post-Doctoral Fellow,The Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Mr Amjad al-DAJANI, PhD Candidate, Kings College London Ms Chie EZAKI, Research Fellow,The Middle East Research Institute of Japan 14:00-16:00 2nd Panel: “The Way to Harmony among Sectarian and Ethnic Groups in Iraq” Moderator: Prof Keiko SAKAI, Professor, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Presenters: Dr Faleh Abduljabar, President, Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies, “Artificial and ii Prof Keiko SAKAI, Professor, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Panelists: Dr Nabil al-TIKRITI, Associate Professor, University of Mary Washington Dr Dai YAMAO, Lecturer, Kyushu University 16:00-16:30 Break 16:30-18:00 3rd Panel: “General Discussion: Peace Making in the Region” Moderator: Prof Ryoji TATEYAMA, Professor, National Defense Academy Presenters: Dr Hasan AlMomani, Director, Regional Centre on Conflict Prevention, Jordan Institute of Diplomacy, “Evaluating Peace Agreements: The Jordanian-Israeli Peace Treaty of 1994, 16 Years Later” Dr. Emad Gad Badras BADROUS, Head of Israeli Study Program, Al Ahram Center for Political & Strategic Studies, “Evaluating Peace Process in the Middle East: Three decades after Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty” Panelists: Prof Keiko SAKAI, Professor, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Prof Akifumi IKEDA, Vice-President, Toyo Eiwa University 18:00-18:30 Closing Remarks Amb Yoshiji NOGAMI, President, JIIA iii Contents Preface .............................................................................................................. i Program ........................................................................................................... ii Contents .......................................................................................................... iv Summary .......................................................................................................... 1 Symposium .................................................................................................... 19 Opening Remarks Amb. Yoshiji Nogami ....................................................... 20 1st Panel: “Present Situation and Prospects of the Palestine-Israel Peace Process: Mutual Understanding and Efforts toward Progress” ................................ 22 1st Presentation Brigadier General (retired) Shlomo Brom .................................................... 23 2nd Presentation Dr. Omar Dajani ........................................................................................... 27 Comments/discussions ............................................................................. 31 2nd Panel: The Way to Harmony among Sectarian and Ethnic Groups in Iraq ........ 51 1st Presentation Dr. Faleh Abduljabar .................................................................................... 52 2nd Presentation Prof. Keiko Sakai ......................................................................................... 58 Comments/discussions ............................................................................. 63 3rd Panel: General Discussion: Peace Making in the Region ................ 79 1st Presentation Dr. Hasan Al-Momani ................................................................................... 80 2nd Presentation Dr. Emad Gad Badras Badrous ................................................................... 84 Comments/discussions ............................................................................. 87 Closing Remarks Amb. Yoshiji Nogami ...................................................... 100 iv Summary Open Symposium on “Conflicts and Peacebuilding in the Middle East: Palestine, Israel and Iraq” Organized by the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), with support from the Japan International Cooperation Foundation (JICF) November 3, 2010, Plaza Hall, 1F, Kasumigaseki Building This Symposium discussed three topics: the intransigent Palestine-Israel conflict, the still-tense situation in Iraq, and conflict resolution and peacebuilding in the Middle East as a whole. Panels were organized for each topic, and presentations were made by leading Japanese researchers who have studied these issues for many long years and by leading researchers from the region who have endeavored as interested parties to resolve these issues. These presentations by leading researchers were followed by comments from younger researchers from Japan and abroad and by discussions conducted based on questions from the floor. The following is a synopsis of the Symposium, centered on summaries of the presentations for each panel. Panel Moderators, Presenters, and Commentators Opening/closing addresses: Amb. Yoshiji NOGAMI President, The Japan Institute of International Affairs 1st Panel: “Present Situation and Prospects of the Palestine-Israel Peace Process: Mutual Understanding and Efforts toward Progress” Moderator: Prof.. Akifumi Ikeda (Vice-President, Toyo Eiwa University) Presenters: Brigadier General (retired) Shlomo Brom (Senior Research Fellow, The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) 1 Dr. Omar Dajani (Professor, University of the Pacific) Commentators: Mr. Assaf David (Post-Doctoral Fellow, The Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Mr. Amjad al-Dajani (PhD Candidate, Kings College, London) Ms. Chie Ezaki (Research Fellow, The Middle East Research Institute of Japan) 2nd Panel: “The Way to Harmony among Sectarian and Ethnic Groups in Iraq” Moderator: Prof. Prof. Keiko Sakai (Professor, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies) Presenters: Dr. Faleh Abduljabar (President, Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies) Prof. Keiko Sakai (Professor, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies) Commentators: Dr. Nabil al-Tikriti (Associate Professor, University of Mary Washington) Dr. Dai Yamao (Lecturer, Kyushu University) 3rd Panel: “General
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