Special Thanks

Special thanks to those who have helped the Palesraeli peace process come so far over the years.

Special Thanks

 

The Palestinian peace process has been extremely prolonged and complicated.  But, this movement really seems to be gaining momentum in recent years.  I have tried to find the largest contributors to the Palestinian peace talks and to give them some credit for their efforts, but my research into these matters was not as thorough as I would have hoped, and I am not privy to the private negotiations or strategy meetings on any side.

 

The "Holy Land" doesn't seem so “holy” to me with so much war and oppression.  Therefore, I am glad that Palestine and Israel are getting some good help from mostly the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities around the globe with their peace plan, or it could take Palesrael another sixty years.  My hopes and prayers are with the negotiators at this time.

 

Syrian President Bashar Assad

 

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman on Sunday dismissed as a "media game" recent reports of a secret arms deal with Syria allegedly made in return for an agreement that Damascus would not hold peace talks with Israel.

 

The Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported Saturday that Iran would provide $1 billion to Syria for advanced weapons procurement and would assist the country with nuclear research and the development of chemical weapons, with the understanding that Damascus would not negotiate peace with Israel.

 

The deal was allegedly signed Thursday when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Syria, said the newspaper. Israeli media later rebroadcast the report.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070722/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_syria

 

Iran and Syria are the closest of allies, together weathering the storm in the Middle East caused by misguided Western military intervention.

 

People around the world are very interested in peace, and it appears to me as if there has been considerable effort on the part of Islamic nations towards easing tensions in the region.  Israel also has made some progress, but America is really dragging the whole world down.

 

Both Syrian President Bashar Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have publicly called for renewed peace talks recently, but have clashed over the specifics.

 

Assad has demanded a guarantee that Israel would pull out of all of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau captured from Syria in the 1967 war.

 

He has also demanded a mediator or "honest broker" for the talks.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070722/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_syria

 

It is some progress just to have renewed interest in these matters as well as future discussions!  Even if a final peace treaty can not be reached, people hearing each others' concerns and bringing publicity to the issues should raise public awareness and hopefully bring further progress towards mutual respect and dignity even without a formal agreement.

 

I am fond of saying that weak men make war, and strong men make peace.  While it is extremely easy to start or continue a war, making peace is not even remotely easy.  During war, there are a tremendous number of hurt feelings and damages. 

 

It was a wonderful idea to try to find an honest mediator or peace broker for this process! 

 

Iranian President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

 

Without support from the Islamic nations that surround Israel, the hope for peace in the Holy Land would be about none.

 

Syria is Iran's closest Arab ally. The two countries have had close relations since 1980 when Syria sided with Persian Iran against Iraq in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

 

Both countries face U.S. accusations of fueling violence in Iraq and supporting Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla group, which Washington labels a terrorist organization. They are also accused of supporting militant anti-Israeli Palestinian groups, like Hamas.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070722/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_syria

 

Despite the blasphemous assault upon his character, Jam and Die-Hard has worked tirelessly for the cause of Iranian development as well as sharing in the difficulties of negotiating peace for Iran’s Palestinian allies.

 

Hamas Supreme Leader Khaled Mashaal

 

In a Reuters interview in January 2007, Mashal said: "As a Palestinian today I speak of a Palestinian and Arab demand for a state on 1967 borders. It is true that in reality there will be an entity or state called Israel on the rest of Palestinian land. This is a reality, but I won't deal with it in terms of recognising or admitting it." In the same interview, he declined to accept the Western demand for Hamas to recognise Israel, renounce violence against it and honour previous peace agreements.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaled_Mashaal

 

Despite a nasty smear campaign by the Western powers that be, Hamas has actually provided considerable support to the Palestinian cause over the years including charity work and other social services. 

 

Mashal is involved in negotiating a prisoner exchange deal that would free captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, though Israeli politicians stated that Israel will not make a deal for kidnapped individuals.

 

Hamas supreme leader Khaled Mashaal said from Syria that Hamas was willing to work out a new border arrangement with Egypt and the rival Fatah faction led by moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080123/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

As seen in this quotes, Hamas is not being inordinately pugilistic.  Hamas merely wants a Palestinian homeland for those who were ejected so many years ago.

 

The Islamic movement Hamas on Wednesday condemned a radical Palestinian group claiming to be holding BBC newsman Alan Johnston, who was snatched in the Gaza Strip nearly two months ago.

 

Hamas, the senior partner in the Palestinian government, declared it no longer had ties with Jeish al-Islam, or Army of Islam, which has released a tape demanding the release of a radical Muslim cleric jailed in Britain.

 

"We reject these methods used by certain Muslim believers because they harm Islam. The affair of Alan Johnston is immoral and we call on his holders to release him," the Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Ayman Taha, told AFP.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070509/wl_mideast_afp/mideastgazakidnapbbcmediahamas

 

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert

 

The position of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was extremely difficult. 

 

Two members of Olmert's coalition have threatened to quit the government if the gathering, expected to convene in late November or early December, tackles the most sensitive issues, including control of Jerusalem and its holy sites.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday a U.S.-led conference on Palestinian statehood would not yield a peace breakthrough, a statement that appeared aimed at heading off a revolt by rightist coalition partners.

 

Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the leading far-right member of Olmert's coalition, said he warned Washington the government could collapse if talks went too far.

 

Cabinet Minister Eli Yishai, who heads the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, said he likewise cautioned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her visit last week that the conference "could shake up the government."

 

The collapse of Olmert's coalition could usher in new Israeli elections and possibly paralyze peace moves for the rest of President George W. Bush's term.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071021/wl_nm/israel_olmert_dc

 

Coalition governments are extremely difficult to maintain.  And, the issues of this particular possible treaty are difficult with so many important religious and national issues tied into one document.

 

Before leaving for Paris, Olmert said the Annapolis conference was "not meant to be an event on its own or an event for an agreement or a historic breakthrough."

 

Olmert and Abbas have instructed their negotiating teams to draft a joint document for the conference that addresses so-called final status issues, including borders and the fate of Jerusalem and millions of Palestinian refugees.

 

The paper is meant to serve as the basis for the statehood talks that Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said should be concluded by August, 2008.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071021/wl_nm/israel_olmert_dc

 

Olmert has been a motivating force and a light of inspiration for the Palestinian peace negotiations since long before they found new life and the Bush conference.

 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was not in a particularly easy position, either.  He has been sandwiched between the Palestinian people and the Israeli people, and conflicting interests are extremely difficult to reconcile.

 

In a joint statement read by President Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged:

 

"We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis."

 

"We agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements," it continued. "We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008."

 

The agreement was reached after weeks of intense negotiations and it was not clear until Bush stepped to the podium in the majestic Memorial Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., that the two sides would come together on how to move forward on the path toward peace.

 

Bush was followed by Abbas, who made an impassioned appeal to Israelis to support the peace process, saying that war and terrorism "belong to the past."

 

"Neither we nor you must beg for peace from the other. It is a joint interest for us and you," he said. "Peace and freedom is a right for us, just as peace and security is a right for you and us."

 

"It is time for the circle of blood, violence and occupation to end. It is time for us to look at the future together with confidence and hope. It is time for this tortured land that has been called the land of love and peace to live up to its name," Abbas said.

 

"I have the right here to defend openly and with no hesitation the right of my people to see a new dawn, with no occupation, no settlement, no separation wall, no prisons with thousands of prisoners, no assassinations, no siege, and no roadblocks around villages and cities," Abbas said.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071127/ap_on_go_pr_wh/mideast_summit

 

Abbas has worked tirelessly to find common ground with the Israelis, and it appears as though a peace treaty is finally starting to take a viable form: equality and justice for both Palestine and Israel.

 

Late Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to Israel to lift the blockade, said Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh. Abbas effectively rules only the West Bank after Hamas expelled his forces from Gaza last June.

 

The exiled leader of Hamas appealed to Abbas and Arab leaders, asking them to forget their differences and help the beleaguered Gazans.

 

"All Arab leaders, exercise real pressure to stop this Zionist crime ... take up your role and responsibility," Khaled Mashaal told Al-Jazeera satellite TV in a live interview from Syria, where he lives in exile. "We are not asking you to wage a military war against Israel ... but just stand with us in pride and honor."

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080120/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

Abbas has also worked to find reconciliation with Hamas, the rival political party in Palestine with which Fatah has had armed conflict in the past.

 

Egyptian Intelligence Chief Oman Suleiman

 

On June 19, 2008 at 6 a.m., a truce brokered by Egypt’s intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman went into effect bringing peace to the Holy Land.  Once the cycle of violence has been opened, it is difficult to close the pattern of retaliation even for a short period so that more involved diplomatic negotiations may be pursued.  But, Omar Suleiman has helped to bring a “new reality” to Palesrael.

 

The Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas militant group said Tuesday it has reached a cease-fire with Israel meant to halt a cycle of deadly Palestinian rocket attacks that rained hundreds of rockets on Israel in the past year and Israeli reprisals that have killed hundreds of Palestinians.

 

But the phased approach is prone to pitfalls, and past truces have quickly broken down. Israel cautiously promised a "new reality" if the rocket fire ends.

 

The announcement capped months of Egyptian-brokered negotiations that have been repeatedly marred by violence. The deal was first announced in Cairo by Egypt's state-run news agency and quickly confirmed by Hamas. However, Hamas said it would respond to any Israeli attacks.

 

Egypt's powerful intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, has been meeting separately with Israeli and Hamas officials for months in hopes of brokering a truce.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080617/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

The German Mediators

 

So far, German mediators have brokered two exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel, aiding significantly with the closure of some unfinished business along the path to peace and reconciliation.  Closing deals is one of the most complicated and frustrating parts of mediation, and their time is greatly appreciated.  It is rumored that the first agreement was brokered by an unnamed German intelligence officer, and it is wonderful to see a number of old war hounds helping to bring more peace into the world instead of never-ending warfare.  When it is your family and friends that are coming home in wooden boxes, the eventual return to peaceful foreign or domestic relations is all the more appreciated.

 

The Israeli government said it will swap prisoners with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah on Wednesday, closing a chapter between the enemies two years after they fought an inconclusive war.

 

The prison service said Sunday Israel would free five Lebanese, including the perpetrator of one of the most notorious attacks in Israeli history. In exchange, Hezbollah will return two soldiers it captured in a cross-border raid that sparked the 2006 war. Israel believes the soldiers are dead.

 

After nearly two years of negotiations through German mediators, Israel's government approved the release on June 29, but it took several weeks to work out final arrangements. The Israeli announcement came a day after the government received a report from Hezbollah on a missing Israeli soldier who disappeared in Lebanon two decades ago. That report was one of the last sticking points.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080713/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_lebanon

 

The Turkish Mediators

 

Turkey has graciously sponsored a number of rounds of talks between Syria and Israel regarding the final disposition of the Golan Heights as well as a formal conclusion to their ongoing war of 60 years.  Their efforts on the behalf of their neighbors are greatly appreciated.

 

In April, 2008, President Assad told a Qatari newspaper that Syria and Israel had been discussing a peace treaty for a year, with Turkey as a go-between. This was confirmed in May, 2008, by a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. As well as a peace treaty, the future of the Golan Heights is being discussed.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria#2008_Israeli_Peace_Talks

 

Israel and Syria on Wednesday said they were holding indirect peace talks through Turkish mediators — the first official confirmation of contacts between the longtime enemies.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080521/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_syria

 

Long-time foes Syria and Israel held a third round of indirect talks in Turkey last week and agreed to hold a fourth round in late July, a Turkish government source told Reuters.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080707/wl_nm/syria_israel_assad_dc

 

The Palestinian and Israeli Negotiators

 

With so many international leaders with extensive name recognition wandering through the Palestinian peace process, it is easy to forget that a number of Palesraeli negotiators, spokespeople, and other support staff have worked over the decades on these exact same issues.  Quite possibly, the oldest member of the team was working on these issues before I was even born. 

 

Should a permanent peace finally be realized, considerable credit is due to those who worked tirelessly in the background as well as those who took center stage under the spotlights. 

 

Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian Negotiator

 

Earlier, after a meeting Monday in Jerusalem between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat talked about Bush's upcoming announcement. "I think it's a clear-cut endgame here. We are talking about President Bush's vision of a two-state solution," said Erekat.

 

"In order to restore credibility and integrity to the peace process, the people of this region, Palestinians and Israelis, must start seeing deeds and not merely words," Erekat said.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070716/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_mideast

 

Israel is also engaged in peace talks with the Palestinians, who are also unwilling to see the Mediterranean Union as a vehicle for papering over differences between the two sides.

 

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has said the new entity will be "a step in the right direction, but no project for regional cooperation will be able to function fully while the Israeli occupation continues.

 

"In order for a genuine partnership to emerge, the countries involved (in the Mediterranean Union) should press Israel to put an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories."

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080710/wl_mideast_afp/mediterraneansummitmideastisraelarab_080710031445

 

Amos Gilad, Israel’s Chief Negotiator

 

A Hamas official said talks on Schalit would begin after the initial three days of quiet. Israeli defense officials said they expect negotiations on the soldier to begin on Sunday, an apparent confirmation of the truce's conditions.

 

Israel's chief negotiator, Amos Gilad, was suddenly dispatched Tuesday evening to Egypt.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080617/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

The Spokespeople

 

Mark Regev, Israeli Spokesman

 

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev would not confirm or deny a deal.

 

"What is important is not only words but deeds. If there is a total absence of terror attacks from Gaza into Israel and if there is an end to arms buildup in Gaza Strip and movement on the hostage Gilad Schalit that will indeed be a new reality."

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080617/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

Reviews

[Robert Luna]

This as a whole was very informative and held such valuable truth and knowledge. I hope those that need to read this and wake up will do so. The vault of references and the way you present it in such a in depth collective piece here. I found myself learning a few things That I didn't know or really think about I guess.


Great Job!!!!!!

[Emily B]

Sadly I have paid little attention to affairs in the Middle East. Aside from women's issues I have been fairly ignorant. Thanks for this work.