Stay Informed

Sign up to receive the Middle East Bulletin!

Support Middle East Progress

In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

08/07/08
How to Deal with Jerusalem  —Lt. Col. (Res.) Ron Shatzberg, Project Director, Economic Cooperation Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
08/07/08
How to Deal with Jerusalem  —
08/05/08
Why Did Maliki Call for a Timeline?  —by Christopher Kojm who teaches at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and is a former senior advisor to the Iraq Study Group. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

Already Divided

“Even the Arab minority in the city has shown its preference for living under Israeli rule, as many have moved to the Israeli side of the security barrier being built around Jerusalem. Their choice is reasonable, as Jerusalem offers the quality of life of a modern western city while only a few kilometers away the norm is a third world standard of living, chaos and religious intolerance. An undivided Jerusalem is the best guarantee of a better life for all Jerusalemites.”
—Nathan Diament, Director of Public Policy, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, July 23, 2008 versus
  • “Those who believe that Jerusalem should not be divided, and mean by that that the Arab neighborhoods should not be separated from the city, should be the first to insist that an active policy be adopted by the government and the municipality to improve the lot of local Arab residents. Barring that, Jerusalem will continue to remain a divided city.”
    —Moshe Arens, former Israeli defense and foreign minister (Likud), “A Story of Neglect,” Haaretz, July 28, 2008

    • Middle East Analysis

    Summit Watch: The Clock is Ticking

    August 24, 2007

    Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)

    Estimated Time Remaining: Two months, summit expected in November.

    Invitations: Invitations not issued, official guest list not known.

    Agenda: Agenda remains undecided. Whether will contain final status negotiations unknown.

    Last Travel by Secretary Rice to Address Conference
    July 30th - August 2nd: Secretary Rice visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the West Bank to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the upcoming summit, and to sign an $80 million assistance package for Palestinian security.

    Next Travel by Secretary Rice: Unscheduled
    Secretary Rice is expected to make another trip to the region sometime before the conference.

    Assistant Secretary to the Near East, David Welch, will visit Oman this week to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking efforts and the war in Iraq.

    Steps Taken by Other Countries
    Israel is reportedly planning to arrive at the conference with an agreement with the Palestinians defining the outlines of a final status solution.

    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jericho on August 6th, the first of a series of meetings to prepare for the summit. Olmert was the first Israeli prime minister to visit a Palestinian town in seven years.

    Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul Elah Khatib discussed the summit in a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso. Khatib stressed Jordan’s support for the summit and launching serious negotiations for a Palestinian state.

    Guide to Preparing International Summits