Israel Palestine 101

The American Task Force on Palestine 815 Connecticut Ave, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20006 Phone 202-887-0177 Fax 202-887-1920 www.americantaskforce.org

Table of Contents ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Recognizing the Two Narratives ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Two Perspectives ,[object Object],[object Object],“ When Israelis ask me about the Palestinians, I tell them they live like us, they suffer like us, they laugh and cry like us. They are just like us, but they suffer more than us.” – the renowned Israeli immunologist, Dr. Zvi Bentwich, founder of Israel’s first and largest AIDS clinic and member of Physicians for Human Rights

Brief Historical Background The area known as Palestine was part of the Ottoman empire for 400 years until World War I, at which time Palestine fell under British control. In 1947, the U.N. proposed partitioning the area into two states. In 1967, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem came under Israeli occupation. The two-state solution envisions a Palestinian State in these areas which we’ll refer to as Palestine .

The Composition of the Holy Land Source: 2003 CIA World Fact Book - Palestine data consists of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Economic Comparative Analysis ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Palestine Unemployment 1 out of 2 Growth rate -18% Sources: United Nations 2004 Human Development Index (HDI), 2003 CIA World Fact Book. A Palestinian has to work for 28 years to earn what an Israeli does in one year GDP Per Capita Annual Budget UN HDI Rank $117.4 Billion $19,500 $45.1 Billion 22 out of 177 GDP Per Capita Annual Budget UN HDI Rank $2.4 Billion $700 $1.2 Billion 102 out of 177 In the land between the Mediterranean sea and the Jordan river…

Military Comparison Main Battle Tanks – Combat Aircraft – Artillery – 2001 Military Expenditures – Official Active Forces – Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies Israel Palestine 3,950 438 1,542 $10.1 billion 167,600 0 0 0 $85 million 35,000 “ We can argue with the Palestinians about who’s to blame; but about who is suffering worse – there is no argument. They are a destitute nation living in an elaborate prison under the guns of the Israeli army.” Jerusalem Post Editorial, March 3, 2004 Israel continues to maintain tens of thousands of troops in the West Bank and Gaza – Israel invaded and occupied those areas in the 1967 war

Demographic Analysis ,[object Object],Sources: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, American Jewish Committee. CIA World Fact Book. 1931 British Census. The 2004 population is: 4.9 million Jewish, 4.9 million Palestinian (Muslim & Christian)

The Conflict has taken 4,000 lives in 4 years Sources: Middle East Policy Council, The Guardian Unlimited From September 29, 2000 to January 5, 2005 292,487 3,538 3,512,062 Palestine 45,048 949 6,116,533 Israel U.S. Equivalent Citizens Killed Population

American National Interest ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Sources: Pew Research Study on Global Attitudes. Zogby International poll of Arabs attitudes, September 2002. ,[object Object],[object Object],This one example represents an 80% decline The Muslim World Population – 1.4 Billion

How is Current U.S. Policy Perceived?

The U.S. Intelligence Community ,[object Object],Sources: U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Haaretz Daily 11/03/03. Against All Enemies by Richard Clarke 2004. “ Without it, the U.S. should expect Arab and Muslim hostility to increase further , threatening prospects for the future.” “ Significantly reduce negative feelings toward the U.S. in the region,” “ Why do they hate us? .. For the most part, you get one answer, over and over again, and with little variation. They hate us because of our policy toward Israel and the Palestinians .” An About-Face on America, The Washington Post, August 24, 2004 It goes on to conclude that,

How Do We Resolve the Conflict? The Formula for a Two State Solution: Israel and Palestine based on 1967 borders with a shared & open capital in Jerusalem and a just settlement to the refugee problem ,[object Object],[object Object],This will result in the following:

Two States Along The Green Line “ Two states, Israel & Palestine, living side-by-side in an enduring peace would do more to defeat this terrorism than bullets alone can ever do.” British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Sept 28, 2004

The Historic Arab Peace Initiative ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Source: The Beirut Declaration of the League of Arab States, 2002. Recognizing that a military solution will not achieve peace or security, the Arab League voted on March 28, 2002 and proposed that following: This offer was repeated in March 2005 The Arab League

The Road Map for a Two-State Solution Phase I ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],A peace plan devised by the US, UN, Russian Federation and the EU - “The Quartet” Summarized from the roadmap to a two-state solution to the conflict, May 2003.

The Road Map for a Two-State Solution Phase II ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

The Road Map for a Two-State Solution Phase III ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Two Popular Peace Initiatives ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],These grassroots initiatives between Israelis and Palestinians are complementary and are consistent with the Roadmap

Joint Israeli & Palestinian Public Opinion 76% of Israelis and Palestinians favor a two-state solution The OneVoice poll of 23,000 Palestinians and 17,000 Israelis as reported in AP and Ha’aretz found that 76% on each side endorsed the two-state concept - a Palestinian state existing beside a Jewish state, "each recognizing the other as such, both democratic and respecting human rights, including minority rights." Sources: Associated Press and Ha’aretz, May 2004.

Additional Palestinian Public Opinion ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Source: Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, October 2003. Oslo Accords, 1993. The 1993 Oslo Accord marked an historic turning point for Palestinians – they formally recognized, “ the right of the State of Israel to exist in peace and security. ” Furthermore, they reduced their claims to just 22% of the land of historic Palestine (West Bank, Gaza Strip & East Jerusalem).

International Support for Two-States Dozens of current and former world leaders including several Nobel Peace Prize Winners support the two-state solution F idel V Ramos, Former President, Philippines Jerry John Rawlings, Former President, Ghana Mary Robinson, Former President, Ireland Michel Rocard, Former Prime Minister, France Salim Ahmed Salim Former Prime Minister, Tanzania, and Secretary-General OAU Cornelio Sommaruga, Former President, International Committee of the Red Cross K.Sorsa, Former Prime Minister, Finland Eduardo Stein, Former Foreign Minister, Guatemala Pär Stenbäck, Former Foreign Minister, Finland Max van der Stoel, Former Foreign Minister, Netherlands Thorvald Stoltenberg, Former Foreign Minister, Norway Hanna Suchocka, Former Prime Minister, Poland Alex Sceberras Trigona, Former Foreign Minister, Malta George Vassiliou, Former President, Cyprus Hubert Védrine, Former Foreign Minister, France Franz Vranitzky, Former Federal Chancellor, Austria Ernesto Zedillo, Former President, Mexico I K Gujral, Former Prime Minister, India J.Figueres, Former President, Costa Rica M. Fraser, Former Prime Minister, Australia Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Former Foreign Minister, Germany Bronisław Geremek, Former Foreign Minister, Poland Mikhail Gorbachev, Former President, Soviet Union, Nobel Peace Prize 1990 B. Hawke, Former Prime Minister, Australia B. Hayden, Former Foreign Minister, Australia Raffi Hovannisian, Former Foreign Minister, Armenia FW de Klerk, Former President, South Africa, Nobel Peace Prize 1993 W. Kok, Former Prime Minister, Netherlands Masahiko Komura, Former Foreign Minister, Japan Budimir Lon č ar, Former Foreign Minister, Yugoslavia Barbara McDougall, Former External Affairs Secretary, Canada G. Michelis, Former Foreign Minister, Italy B.Noev, Former Defence Minister, Bulgaria Lord Owen, Former Foreign Secretary, UK Surin Pitsuwan, Former Foreign Minister, Thailand Augusto Ramírez-Ocampo, Former Foreign Minister, Colombia Martti Ahtisaari, Former President, Finland Ali Alatas, Former Foreign Minister, Indonesia Oscar Arias Sánchez, Former President, Costa Rica, Nobel Peace Prize 1987 L. Axworthy, Former Foreign Minister, Canada Alexander Bessmertnykh, Former Foreign Minister, Soviet Union Carl Bildt, Former Prime Minister, Sweden Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Former UN Secretary-General Lakhdar Brahimi, Former Foreign Minister, Algeria F. Cardoso, Former President, Brazil I.Carlsson, Former Prime Minister, Sweden Lord Carrington, Former Foreign and Defence Secretary, UK and NATO Secretary-General Jorge Castañeda, Former Foreign Minister, Mexico Claude Cheysson, Former Foreign Minister, France Jacques Delors, Former President, European Commission Jiří Dienstbier, Former Foreign Minister, Czechoslovakia Ruth Dreifuss, Former President, Switzerland U. Ellemann-Jensen, Former Foreign Minister G.Evans, Former Foreign Minister, Australia Mark Eyskens, Former Foreign and Prime Minister, Belgium Source: International Crisis Group, December 2003

Official U.S. Support for Two-States ,[object Object]," Israel must be willing to end its occupation, consistent with the principles embodied in Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, and accept a viable Palestinian State in which Palestinians can determine their own future on their own land and live in dignity and security. " - Former Secretary of State Powell November 19, 2001 Source: White House and State Department websites “ We realize that there can be no lasting peace for either side until there is freedom and security for both sides.” – Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, August 19, 2004

American Support for Two-States ,[object Object],Former President Bill Clinton Former President Jimmy Carter Former Secretary of State Madeline Allbright Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher Former Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci Former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara Former National Security Advisor Richard Allen Former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski Former National Security Advisor Anthony Lake Former National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane Former Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas Pickering Source: International Crisis Group, December 2003 "Israelis need to end the occupation that began in 1967." Former U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice, Haaretz, August 27, 2004

American Public Opinion ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Sources: Mar. 2002 Gallup Poll. Oct. 2001 Newsweek. Nov. 2001 U. Md. PIPA September 2004 Chicago Council on Foreign Relations Global Views 2004.

The Basis of a Two-State Solution ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Ending the Occupation is the Only Formula for Peace and Security That Works Source: IDF and Jaffe Center for Strategic Studies

Israeli Support for Ending the Occupation ,[object Object],[object Object],Sources: The Forward 8/20/04. DaHaf poll, May 6, 2002 by Peace Now. Refuseniks Watch. Yedioth Ahronoth, November 14, 2003 ,[object Object],[object Object],Photo: Ami Ayalon “ The Occupation of Palestinian territory is eroding Israel’s international standing. The U.S. is virtually our only friend, so we must remember that it, too, supports a withdrawal almost to the borders of 1967.” – Ehud Olmert Current Deputy PM of Israel

Israeli PM’s Acknowledge the Occupation ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Photo: Ariel Sharon Photo: Shimon Peres Israeli Prime Ministers from both ends of the political spectrum have acknowledged that Israel’s presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is an Occupation

Current Challenges to a Two-State Solution ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Challenge: The Path of the Israeli Barrier The barrier’s path has been projected to annex between 7% – 45% of Palestinian land. This will: ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Sources: B’Tselem, Gush Shalom, Ha’aretz, International Court of Justice “ Only a separation route based on the path of law will lead the state to the security so yearned for” – Supreme Court of Israel

The Path of the Israeli Barrier ,[object Object],[object Object]

A Look at the Israeli Barrier from Space CLOSE UP : Qalqilyah was a relatively rich Palestinian town, nicknamed the ‘bread basket.’ After the Wall was constructed around it the cost of shipping goods has tripled . Consequently, 600 stores have been forced to close and now 75% of the town’s 40,000+ residents depend on humanitarian assistance from overseas. Before After

Qalqilyah’s Farms are Now Off-Limits

The Israeli Barrier on the Ground Archbishop Pietro Sambi, of Jerusalem said the wall, “cuts in half monasteries, convents, churches and cemeteries.” The pictures above are of the wall in Bethlehem

Challenge: The Israeli Settlements ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Israel successfully evacuated the settlements in Sinai, Egypt and plans to do it in Gaza The Israeli settlements are illegal according to international law

Israeli Settlements on Palestinian Lands “ I don't think there is any greater obstacle to peace than settlement activity.” - Former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker, May 22, 1991. The hill top pictured above is Abu Ghneim mountain. The second picture was taken during the construction of the Har Homa settlement. Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories increased 35% in 2003 even though population growth was just 5.32% over the same period. That is almost 7 times higher than “natural growth” thereby illustrating the high vacancy rates found in settlements. 1997 2003

Illegal Settlement Outposts on the Rise " The settlement outposts worry us a great deal, and we were happy to let the Americans lead the dialogue with Israel regarding upholding its commitments in the framework of the road map [evacuating all of the settlement outposts built since March 2001]. But not a thing happened. Ignoring for a moment the expansion of construction in Ma'ale Adumim (near Jerusalem), how is it possible to build a two-state model at a time that Israel is building infrastructures for additional settlements, paving a road from Ariel to the Jordan Rift, and linking Ma'ale Adumim to the Ben-Gurion Airport highway? How is all this compatible with the principle of a Palestinian state that is territorially contiguous?” - Marc Otte, European Union special representative for the Mideast peace process, Ha'aretz , Oct. 29, 2004

Is It Too Late For Two States? ,[object Object],Question : Have you tried visualizing the settlements without the settlers? Evacuating the settlements is a key ingredient for a just and final peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The Central Conference of American Rabbis in a letter to President Bush stated, “ No peace can be established without…the dismantling of certain Israeli settlements.”

Minor Border Modifications: 1-to-1 land swap ,[object Object],[object Object],This is the most likely two-state solution seen by many Israelis and Palestinians

Challenge: Violence Against Civilians ,[object Object],“ Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person” Confronting violence against civilians is the moral and political obligation of everyone.

Violence Against Israeli Civilians ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],“ If there is no occupation at all, Israelis won't be violating Palestinian human rights and Palestinian terrorism against Israelis will at least decrease, if not end” - Yossi Alpher, former senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak

Violence Against Palestinian Civilians ,[object Object],While civilians constituted a majority of the over 900 Israelis killed since the second intifada, they also were the majority of the over 3000 Palestinians killed by Israelis during the same period . “ The original violence, the primordial, ongoing violence, is the violence of the side that imposed through its military superiority a reign over another nation….Even without tanks and helicopter fire, the Israeli presence in the West Bank and Gaza is violent and has been since 1967.” - Amira Hass, Ha’aretz, August 25, 2004

Challenge: Restarting the Peace Process ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],The U.S. should make the Roadmap peace agreement the top priority for the Secretary of State. Active daily involvement is needed to oversee the implementation of each step carried out by both sides simultaneously. Source: Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, Sept. 2004

Restarting the Peace Process ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],The U.S. needs to articulate a clear, unequivocal end-game for the process which is “based on the 1967 borders” for it to have legitimacy among the Palestinians. Just as importantly, it will invigorate the majorities of Israelis and Palestinians who support a two-state solution .

Final Goal – Peace in the Middle East The Future State of Palestine

Israel Palestine 101

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Israel Palestine 101