USA TODAY Collegiate Case Study: Turmoil in the Middle East

8/9/2019 USA TODAY Collegiate Case Study: Turmoil in the Middle East

1/19

Turmoil in the Middle EastPresident Barack Obama has inherited a nation entrenched in wars amidst a world o instability andthe Middle East newly aame with violence. While disputes in this region may seem eternal, and ailedpeace eorts the norm, there are reasons to be optimistic. I President Obama joins with orces or peaceand stability and acts boldly, his presidency could have a marked impact on world aairs. Stabilizing theMiddle East will require tough diplomacy, patience, determination, and a willingness to seek solutions

that go beyond those tried in the past. The hard work, though, may be well worth the result. In the wordso the late Indian diplomat Vijaya Lakshmi Nehru Pandit, The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleedin war.

Copyright 2009 USA TODAY, a division o Gannett Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

CollegiateCase

Study

THE NATIONS NEWSPAPER

www.usatodaycollege.com

In Iran

Gaza is the smoke, Iran is the re

By Bob Beckel & Cal Thomas 2 - 3

A Quandry or President Obama

By USA TODAY 4

Obamas reticence on vote stirs stew o opinion

By David Jackson 5 - 6

White House expressing concern but maintainingits distance

By Michael B. Smith 7

In Iraq

Six years ater invasion, Iraqis slow to regaincondence

By Aamer Madhani 7 - 8

Americans consider the uture in light o theIraq warBy USA TODAY 8

In Israel

World leaders seek stronger mideast peace deal

By Jim Michaels 9 - 10

Mideast talks 30 years later

By USA TODAY 10

Hamas is battered but resilient

By Jim Michael 11 - 13

Israelss tactics in Gaza invite Palestinian backlashDebate 14 - 15

Obamas input

Obama sets terms or mideast peace

Wire Reports 16

Comments rom around the world on address

World responses 17 - 18

Critical Inquiry

Discussion Questions andAdditional Resources 19 - 21


2/19

Gaza is the smoke, Iran is the re

As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Thursday, January 8, 2009 Page 11A

Cal Thomas is a conservative columnist. Bob Beckel is a liberalDemocratic strategist. But as longtime riends, they can otenfnd common ground on issues that lawmakers in Washing-ton cannot. They co-wrote the book Common Ground: Howto Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America.

Today: Crisis in the Middle East.

Bob: In our last column, Cal the one about New Yearspredictions you noted that Barack Obama would ace aninternational crisis early on in his administration. He hasntyet taken the oath o oce, but youre already right. The Is-rael/Hamas battle in and around the Gaza Strip has growninto a major conrontation that will test his administrationright away. Hamas started the fght with indiscriminatemissile attacks on southern Israel, and the Israelis seemintent on ending the fght once and or all. A U.S. presidentcan count on dealing with Israel and her enemies battling;its as predictable as the sun rising and birds chirping.

Cal: Unortunately, this wont be Obamas only internation-al crisis. Perhaps not since Franklin Roosevelt, who washanded the Great Depression and a growing threat romNazi Germany, has an incoming president aced so manyimmediate challenges. I dont envy him.

Bob: No kidding!

Cal: Some o Obamas top aides have said he intends tomake Middle East peace a priority. Good luck with that.So many presidents have entered that swamp, includingPresident Bush, and have nothing to show or it but rus-tration. Thats because neither America, nor any other

country or world body, can reverse the religious doctrinetaught to several generations that Allah considers Jews lessthan human and wants them dead and Israel destroyed.How does one negotiate with people who embrace suchbelies?

Bob: Not every Muslim in the Mideast embraces those be-lies. There are indications that younger Palestinians are notas wedded to the destruction o Israel. One reason Hamasagreed to a six-month cease-fre with Israel prior to thecurrent violence was because people in Gaza were eeling

the eects o sanctions put in place ater Hamas won the2006 elections. That has nothing to do with Allah.

Cal: That so-called truce was used by Hamas to dig tunnelthrough which they smuggled fghters, weapons and ammunition. Members o Hamas and their terrorist cousinsare the illegitimate sons o the Nazis whose job the ter

rorists think they have been commissioned by their Godto fnish.

Bob: What about the Israeli response, though, Cal? Franklythe amount o bombing is disproportionate to the numbeo attacks by Hamas. Should the United States be encouraging this relentless barrage, in which it appears many Pal-estinian civilians are being killed?

Cal: So i you kill two or three Israelis per day, that is pro-portionate? The terrorists deliberately hide among civil-ians knowing what the worlds reaction will be when Israestrikes back. This is a amiliar strategy, and the Palestin-

ians eectively exploit the news medias portrayal o theseretaliatory attacks. Do you think or one minute that theUnited States would worry about disproportionate attacki terrorists lobbed missiles at U.S. cities rom across theMexican border? O course not. Wed annihilate them andsend a message. Wed make the Israelis look restrainedand rightly so.

Bob: Youre probably right, but whats this all mean or theUnited States and the greater Middle East? As you correctly noted, every U.S. president dances this dance. Mideaspeace, honest broker, blah blah blah. How do we get pasthis Groundhog Day situation?

Cal: The United States needs to continue as an honest broker, but doing so does not mean that Hamas and Israel areequals. Theyre not militarily or, certainly, morally. Theresno equivalency. Even so, Obama needs to keep his eye onthe bigger picture, and that means Iran the greatesthreat not only to the region, but to the world.

Bob: So what should the Obama administration do thahasnt been tried already?

Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Cal and Bob agree that peace in the Middle East hinges more on Irans nuclearthreat than the ongoing battle between Hamas and Israel. Obamas rst test inthis region could set the course or years to come.

Page 2


3/19


Cal: There is no hope as long as Israels enemies believetheir God wants them to kill Jews. War may not be thebest answer, but it can at least wound the terrorists andrustrate their objectives. Instead o taking a Jimmy Carter-like approach and embracing those, such as Hamas, whoemploy terrorist tactics, the Obama team ought to giveIsrael a ree hand to wipe out those who threaten her. Itshould then support a declaration that there will be nomore concessions until these groups not only cease fre,but disarm.

Bob: What about Iran?

Cal:Then it must come up with a plan or dealing with Iran,

which is supplying Hamas with Russian-made rockets andother weapons. Peace through strength. Ronald Reagan,whom Obama has had kind words or, understood this.Lets hope our president-elect does, too. Strength is theone thing Israels enemies, and ours, respect.

Bob: Yes, the Obama administration should encourage Is-rael to aggressively deend itsel, but the U.S. must atleast publicly maintain a sae distance rom the Israelisso that once the dust settles, we can bring both sides tothe table. The Bush administration has been too closelyaligned with Israel, and as such, Secretary o State Condo-leezza Rices trips to the region were about as ruitul as

an orange grove in Canada. Obama and incoming secretaryo State Hillary Clinton have an opening here. Israel hastwo weeks to hammer Hamas and punish them or theirprovocations. But come Jan. 20, real peace overtures mustgo orward. The loser, i there is some sort o agreement,would be Iran.

Cal: This all really does come back to Iran. There are ewoptions with that regime: Either the U.S. fnds a way, withour allies, to pressure Iran into abandoning nukes, or Is-rael will have to bomb Iranian nuclear acilities. I Israelis orced to do so, any hope or a comprehensive Mideastpeace will be set back decades. The Obama administration

should not go as ar as encouraging Israel to try to control

Gaza. I Gaza explodes in the months ahead and becomesa ull-scale battle, the United States will have little hope orallying international support against Iran.Bob: Youre right. Thats why, as Obama has suggested, weneed a vigorous diplomacy while not removing other op-tions rom the table.

Cal: None o Israels many concessions have brought it anycloser to a peace settlement. I am convinced each conces-sion has made the terrorists want more. Let them fght itout. Diplomacy might work ater one side scores a decisivevictory or all sides are exhausted.

Bob: I only I could believe there would be a decisive vic-

tory, but it is hard to see how. Cal, you and I agree thatthe Obama oreign policy should not be weak-kneed andsimply about making nice. And I dont think well get thatwith the team he has assembled. But we also agree thatthough Gaza is todays crisis, Iran is the crisis that awaitsus in years to come and must be the ocus o any action inthe region right now. We have a strong national securityreason to keep nukes out o Iranian hands. I Israel attacksIran, the ew moderate Mideast countries that support anIsraeli/Palestinian accord will desert the peace processWhat say you?

Cal: We may ultimately have to live with a nuclear Iran

using a deterrent strategy similar to the one employedagainst the Soviet Union. But i Iran acquires nukes, letthe word go orth that an attack by Iran on Israel will beconsidered an attack on the United States, prompting animmediate and disastrous (or Iran) response. PresidentBarack Obama would have to make that decision. But hemust enter the Middle East rom a position o strength, notweakness. He must remember that his entry into the Gazacrisis is his only chance to make a frst impression. I knowthat I speak or all Americans in wishing him the best inthis historic endeavor.

As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Thursday, January 8, 2009 Page 11A

Page 3


4/19

Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. Page 4

As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Friday, June 19, 2009 Page 11A

The Boston Globe, in an editorial: There may neverbe absolute proo o the massive vote raud that Iraniansare now protesting. But it would require vast reservoirs ocredulity to believe the announced result: that incumbentPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won nearly 63% o frst-round ballots cast. Disenchanted Iranians are calling

it a coup detat. This mockery o democracy creates aquandary or President Obama. He has invited Irans rulers,whoever they may be, to enter into a dialogue. It is Iranspursuit o fssile material needed or nuclear weapons thatmakes the stakes so high. Because o that, Obama has littlechoice but to keep his oer to negotiate with Iran on thetable no matter who is declared the winner o the electionthere.

Bret Stephens, columnist, The Wall Street Journal: InCairo two weeks ago, Obama trumpeted my commitment to governments that reect the will o the people. He

also lamented that the United States played a role in theoverthrow o a democratically elected Iranian govern-ment. Yet here is his administration disavowing the frsto these commitments while acquiescing in the overthrow beore it can even be installed o another demo-cratically elected Iranian government. Now a presidencythats supposed to be all about hope is suddenly in cyni-cal realpolitik mode the only hope it means to keepalive being a grand bargain over Irans nuclear program.

Patrick J. Buchanan, columnist, The Miami Herald:Obama should not heed the war hawks howling or con-rontation now. U.S. ulminations would change noth-ing in Tehran. But they would enable the regime to divertattention to U.S. meddling in Irans aairs and portray thecandidate robbed in this election, Mir Hossein Mousavi, as apoodle o the Americans. Obama, with his outstretchedhand, his message to Iran on its national day, his admis-sion that the United States had a hand in the 1953 coup inTehran, his assurances that we recognize Irans right to nu-

clear power, succeeded. He stripped the ayatollah and Ah-madinejad o their clinching argument that America is outto destroy Iran and they are indispensable to Irans deense.

Rick Santorum, ormer U.S. senator, The Philadel-

phia Inquirer: Obamas policy o engagement has beenrebued. Moreover, the (Iranian) regime sees it as asign o weakness, and dissenters see it as an act o be-trayal. Last weeks election sparked genuine out-bursts o opposition. Tragically, Obama has served uphigh-own platitudes about air elections instead o be-ing squarely behind a budding revolution that couldeliminate the most dangerous regime on the planet.

Michael Walzer, columnist, The New Republic: Readingabout the mass demonstrations in Iran, my frst thoughtisnt about what the U.S. government should do or what

Obama should say. It is about what the rest o us shoulddo and say. Conronting mass protests in Iran, where atleast some o the protesters, perhaps many o them, areour political riends, lets help them through our partiesand unions, and religious groups, and magazines. Letswrite about them, publish their stories, raise money ortheir activities, condemn their arrests, hold meetings, signpetitions, picket Iranian embassies in every country wherewe can mobilize the picketers. This is an ideologicalstruggle, and that kind o struggle isnt frst o all the busi-ness o governments. It is the business o politically com-mitted men and women.

Opinionline:

A quandry or President ObamaWhat people are saying about Irans disputed election


5/19


Obamas reticence on vote stirs stew o opinionWords fy via Twitter, news media, experts

By David Jackson, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON President Obama is taking heat or hismeasured comments about the post-election protests inIran.

Obama has said he is troubled by violence against protest-ers in Tehran but insists its up to Iranians to settle theirelection dispute themselves. For that, hes accused o med-dling by the government o Iranian President MahmoudAhmadinejad.

Meanwhile, Republicans such as John McCain, Obamas ri-val in last years U.S. election, accuse the president o notdoing enough to help democratic supporters in Iran.

Obama really is up against a rock and a hard place on this,said Suzanne Maloney, author o Irans Long Reach: Iran Asa Pivotal State in the Muslim World. He can hurt as muchas he can help.

Maloney said Obama is playing it right because Iran woulduse stronger words by Obama to cast supporters o Iranianopposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi as U.S. puppets.McCain and other critics said Obama is missing a chance toisolate the militant Islamist regime in Tehran and promotedemocracy.

McCain used Twitter, a networking website also being usedheavily by Iranian protesters, on Thursday to say: Masspeaceul demonstrations in Iran today, lets support them& stand up or democracy & reedom! President & his Ad-min should do the same.

Sen. John Kerry o Massachusetts, the 2004 Democraticpresidential nominee, deended Obama on Thursday onthe editorial page o The New York Times. Kerry wrotethat an aggressive approach, as advocated by McCain,would be seen in Iran as support or Mousavi. I the U.S.really wants to help, Kerry wrote, we have to understandhow our words can be manipulated and used against us tostrengthen the clerical establishment.

Obama made no comments about Iran on Thursday, and hehas spoken only twice about the election and ensuing vio-lence since protests began last weekend. I stand stronglywith the universal principle that peoples voices should beheard and not suppressed, he said earlier in the week.

Fariborz Ghadar, a vice minister or the shah o Iran in the1970s, said Obama is better o saying as little as possiblelest Irans rulers again cast the U.S. as the Great Satan. Headded that its hard to know whats really going on, andwe dont even know whos on whose side in the action-ridden Iranian government.

Ghadar said Obama may well eel a kinship with the pro-testers, who, like his own supporters, tend to be young anduse the latest communications tools to get their messagesout.

I can eel what President Obama must be eeling, saidGhadar, a senior scholar at the Center or Strategic & Inter-national Studies in Washington. Having said that, speak-

ing out right now would be counterproductive.

Daniel Senor, a oreign policy adviser in the George WBush administration, said Obama should speak more orce-ully or democracy. He noted that Iran already is accusingthe U.S. o intererence and would do so under any circum-stances.

Democratic movements are best sustained through inter-national isolation o repressive governments, Senor add-ed, as happened in the Ukraine ater its elections in 2004.

The best way to get other countries to speak out against

Iran is presidential leadership. The international commu-nity, he added, will not mobilize unless the United Statespresident weighs in.



6/19



Day What Happened in Iran Obama administration commentSaturday6/13/2009

The Interior Ministry announces that incumbentMahmoud Ahmadinejad won the June 12 presiden-tial election with 63% o the vote. Opposition leaderMir Hossein Mousavi charges raud. His supportersclash with government police

Like the rest o the world, we were impressed bythe vigorous debate and enthusiasm that this elec-tion generated, particularly among young Iranians.We continue to monitor the entire situation close-ly, including reports o irregularities. WhiteHouse spokesman Robert Gibbs

Sunday

6/14/2009

The worst rioting in a decade continues with the

second day o pro-Mousavi demonstrations. Ah-madinejad says the election was air. The govern-ment blocks some Internet sites and text messagingsystems used by protesters.

Theres some real doubt. ... Were going to with-

hold comment until we have a ... thorough reviewo the whole process and how they react in theatermath. Vice President Biden

Monday6/15/2009

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Irans supreme leader, asksthe Guardian Council to review claims o vote rig-ging. Mousavi makes his frst public appearancesince the election. State-run media report thatseven people were killed in clashes between thepro-government militia and thousands o Mousavisupporters in central Tehran.

It is up to Iranians to make decisions about whoIrans leaders will be. ...Having said all that, I amdeeply troubled by the violence that Ive beenseeing on television. President Obama

Tuesday6/16/2009

Thousands o Iranians hold rival demonstrations inTehrans streets. Ahmadinejad travels to Russia. Thegovernment restricts oreign news media to cover-ing only authorized events. The ayatollah calls orunity.

Its not productive, given the history o U.S.-Ira-nian relations, to be seen as meddling. ... When Isee violence directed at peaceul protesters, whenI see peaceul dissent being suppressed ... it is oconcern to me, and its o concern to the Americanpeople. President Obama

Wednesday6/17/2009

Iran accuses the United States o meddling. Opposi-tion supporters continue to protest while the gov-ernment continues to crack down on dissent. Mem-bers o Irans national soccer team, playing a WorldCup qualiying match in South Korea, wear greenarmbands in support o Mousavi.

The outcome o any election should reect thewill o the people. And it is or the Iranians to de-termine how they resolve this internal protestconcerning the outcome o the recent election.But it is a undamental value that the United Statesholds. Secretary o State Hillary RodhamClinton

Thursday6/18/2009

Hundreds o thousands o black-clad protestersjoin Mousavi to mourn slain demonstrators, dey-ing Irans supreme leader. Some chant, Death to thedictator.

The American people and this government arenot going to pick the next leader o Iran. ... Wehave to ensure that we express our views ... aboutensuring that people can demonstrate (and) havetheir causes and concerns heard. White Housespokesman Robert Gibbs

White House expressing concern butmaintaining its distance

Original graphic by Michael B. Smith, USA TODAY


7/19


As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Friday, March 20, 2009 Page 9A

Six years ater invasion, Iraqis slow to regain

condenceBy Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY

BAGHDAD Inside a cabinet in his motorcycle repairshop, Kadhim Shari stores the snapshots o him swinginga sledgehammer at the Saddam Hussein statue in FirdosSquare in 2003, moments beore U.S. troops toppled themonument in one o the most iconic events o the war.

Thursday, as Iraq marked the sixth anniversary o the starto the U.S. invasion, Shari brought out the photos and the

sledgehammer and recalled the exhilaration he elt thatday and the ache o disappointment that has nagged himsince.I elt out o control with emotion and flled with happi-ness, said Shari, 51, as he showed a visitor photos o theday in April 2003 that marked the all o the old regime.Now I eel regret or all that Iraq has suered since then.At that time, no one thought it would end up like this.

As the U.S. military begins its seventh year in Iraq, an end-game is in sight, albeit one that would maintain a U.S. pres-ence in Iraq until the end o 2011.

President Obama has said he will withdraw all combattroops by August 2010 and plans to pull out the remainingU.S. troops by the end o the ollowing year.

Talk o such an exit strategy has been greeted with a mix-ture o disbelie and concern on the Baghdad streets.

Since violence plummeted to the lowest levels since 2003,the U.S. military ocus has shited in recent months awayrom combat operations toward missions o training andequipping Iraqi orces and rebuilding Iraqs tattered inra-structure.

The progress on the security ront has resulted in a great-er sense o normalcy in the capital, but it has yet to bringmany Iraqis the confdence that their own security orcesand politicians will be ready to take sole control o govern-ing and protection in the near uture.

Right now, things in Iraq are 70% good and 30% bad, whichis much better than it was just two years ago, said AzherAmin, 45, a steel abricator. But i the Americans leavetoo quickly, the situation will reverse itsel. I dont think

anyone Iraqi or American believes realistically that by2012 our army will be good enough to protect the peopleinternally or to secure our borders.

Amin and others complain that the Iraqi government is stilunable to produce enough electricity to meet Iraqs grow-ing demand, ethnic and sectarian rivalries still beset Iraqspolitical scene, and although the level o violence has di-minished, bombings and assassinations remain common-place.

At the Pentagon and on the ground in Iraq, military leadershave cautioned against drawing down too quickly.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, persuad-ed Obama to remove only two U.S. combat brigades beorethe end o this year to keep enough American troops onthe ground in the leadup to national parliamentary elec-tions scheduled or December.Odierno and Deense Secretary Robert Gates have warnedthat the Iraqis have much work to do on the political rontto make certain the relative stability is maintained.

I think that the roots o democracy or representa-tive government, i you want to call it that, in Iraq are stillrelatively shallow, Gates said Wednesday. There is still aneed or urther reconciliation and ensuring that someo the issues between the Arabs and the Kurds are resolvedpeaceully.

For U.S. troops, many o whom have served as many as ourtours in Iraq, the war is entering an unamiliar stage.

Sgt. 1st Class Alan Ezelle, whose Oregon National Guard uniis set to return to Iraq next month, said his commandershave stressed that Iraq is not the same place it was when

the troops were last deployed to Baghdad in 2004-05.

Ezelle said his unit, an element o the 41st Inantry BrigadeCombat Team, regularly aced heavy combat and ended itstour by handing security o an eastern Baghdad sector toill-prepared Iraqi orces.

This time, the unit will probably be tasked with a missiono securing U.S. convoys.


8/19


As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Friday, March 20, 2009 Page 9A

The soldiers expect to fnd their Iraqi counterparts to bemuch more proessional, Ezelle said.

As the unit awaited deployment orders, Ezelle said, manyo the soldiers under his charge hoped they would drawAghanistan, where they thought they might be o moreuse.

As inantry, its natural or soldiers to want to go wherethey could use what they were trained to do, Ezelle, 41, o

Springfeld, Ore., said. Ive been reminding the guys thatthis (Iraq) is an important mission. We might be able to saywe were there when we started to wrap this thing up.

As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Thursday, March 13, 2008 Page 5A


9/19


As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Monday, January 19, 2009 Page 8A

World leaders seek stronger Mideast peace deal

By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

CAIRO The cease-fre in Gaza could present new oppor-tunities or achieving a broader peace in the Middle East,analysts said Sunday, despite concern over unresolvedissues such as how to seal the smuggling tunnels Hamasmilitants use to arm themselves.

Fighting in Gaza largely stopped Sunday ater Hamas o-fcials announced they would agree to a one-week cease-fre, a day ater Israel unilaterally halted its three-week o-ensive.

It is a ragile peace. Although Israeli troops began pullingout o Gaza on Sunday, the Israeli government still warns itwill respond orceully i Hamas resumes fring rockets intoIsrael. Diplomats rom around the world, including UnitedNations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, were gathered atan Egyptian resort to try to orge a more durable peacedeal beore new violence erupts.

Hundreds o tunnels running under Egypts 9-mile borderwith Gaza, used to smuggle everything rom livestock touel and weapons, were shaping up as a major stickingpoint in negotiations. Israel says it has destroyed 60% to70% o the tunnels, which were built to get around trade

sanctions, but some Gaza residents say the war has donelittle to stop commerce, illicit or otherwise.

Even at this time, there are people working in the tun-nels, Diaa Hassan, a tunnel worker on the Gazan side othe border, said Sunday.

He said many tunnels, which oten have lighting and com-plex inrastructure, go down as ar as 30 yards and wereimpervious to bombardment rom Israeli planes. Those(tunnels) do not get destroyed, Hassan said.

Israel has proposed that oreign troops patrol the border,and the United States and European countries have oeredtechnical assistance to monitor the tunnels.

Egypt has balked at the proposals. It would look like an-other occupying orce, said Abdel Monem Said Aly, direc-tor o the Al-Ahram Center or Political and Strategic Stud-ies, based in Cairo. Its a very sensitive issue in Egypt.

The tunnel system has grown so sophisticated over theyears that Hamas militants had even set up customs check-points to collect ees, Aly said. He said the system has lots

o pathways so that goods can still be moved even i sometunnels are blocked.

Despite the problems, Aly and some other longtime ob-servers o the Middle East process said the Gaza war couldpresent an unoreseen boost to the 6-decade-old quest oa lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Among reasons or optimism:

uHamas leadership, caught o-guard by Israels oensivemay now consider pursuing a more pragmatic course withIsrael, said Mohamed Kadry Said, a security analyst and

ormer major general in the Egyptian military.

Through Hamas two decades o existence, the group hasmade Israels destruction its main goal. Hamas is classifedas a terrorist group by the United States.

Rhetoric is important, but I dont think it is reected inwhat will be said in a closed room, Said said. Maybe wewill see another Hamas, one that Israel will be more will-ing to work with.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was hostingcease-fre negotiations, said Sunday that the Gaza conict

reinorces the need or a just and comprehensive peacein the region. Ban said: We need to put this Middle Eastpeace process back on track.

uThe street protests in the Arab world were not as violenor broad as they could have been, and the West Bank, theother Palestinian territory, was relatively quiet, Aly said.

uSyria and Iran, Hamas chie backers, were largely on thesidelines during the conict. Hamas miscalculated howthe world would react, according to Said. Hamas is alonenow, he said.

Other observers were less hopeul, citing anger in the Arabworld over civilian casualties. We will wake up on themorning ater the war to a situation flled with hatred,wrote Eyal Megged, a commentator in the Israeli newspa-per Maariv.

Even Aly was hedging his bets. Either we are heading to-ward a serious peace process or heading or another cri-sis, he said.

Contributing: Theodore May in Raah, Gaza; and wire reports

Page 9


10/19

Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.Page 15

As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Tuesday, May 19, 2009 Page 10A

Mideast talks 30 years laterOur Opinion - USA TODAYFrom the American perspective, attempting to negoti-ate peace in the Middle East comes with a certain senseo dj vu. The leaders may change. Monday, PresidentObama met or the frst time with new Israeli Prime Minis-ter Benjamin Netanyahu. But the basic peace ormula staysthe same: Israelis need security. Palestinians need a state.The question: how to get there particularly at a timewhen Israel has veered o track?

At best, Netanyahu shows little interest in creating a Pales-tinian state. He wants to concentrate instead on prevent-ing Iran rom developing a nuclear weapon that wouldthreaten Israel. Complicating matters, Palestinians are war-ring amongst themselves. Hamas, a terrorist organization,rules the Gaza Strip, and Fatah, led by President MahmoudAbbas, the West Bank.

All this makes peace prospects seem as distant as 30 yearsago, beore the Camp David accords between Israel andEgypt ushered in an era o promise. But on Monday, Netan-yahu at least oered a place to begin. He told Obama he isready or peace negotiations. He has previously talked o

improving Palestinians living conditions.

By ocusing eorts on the West Bank, Netanyahu couldhelp Abbas build a peaceul state. Similar steps in Gazacould undermine Hamas. Both could reduce pressures thatdrive young Palestinians toward terrorism.

Netanyahu might be ready to take small steps: easing eco-nomic and travel restrictions that keep Palestinians dirtpoor, or example. But that is not enough. For any eortto be credible, he must also put a stop to the continuedbuilding o settlements on the West Bank, and negotiateor a Palestinian state in good aith (as opposed to paying

lip service under U.S. pressure).Israeli leaders have made such courageous steps be-ore. Talks brokered by President Clinton in 2000 almostachieved a Palestinian state, until ormer Palestinian lead-er Yasser Araat balked, demolishing the peace process. Ex-pecting a breakthrough now would be naive. But historysays change in the Middle East can come suddenly.

The leaders and conditions have to be right such as atCamp David or when Araat lost power to moderates a-ter backing Saddam Hussein in the Persian Gul War. Theynever happen, though, without meticulous groundworklaid by the United States. Today, that means providing the

Palestinians with a resh path to independence that canalso make Israel more secure.

Page 10


11/19


As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Friday, January 23, 2009 Page 1A

Hamas is battered, but resilientGaza tension shows scope o the challenge or Obama

By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

GAZA CITY Police Capt. Adel el-Shamis new oce is achair in an alley. His previous one is now our oors un-derground, he says grimly, since Israeli aircrat turned thepolice station a block away to rubble.

He doesnt seem to mind his new digs, though. On Thurs-day, el-Shami sat under a grimy awning and issued orders

using a cellphone and a radio stued in his camouagevest. Two AK-47s were stacked on a wall and six maga-zines flled with bullets were lined neatly on the ground.His subordinates were on patrol to prevent looting, but hesaid the city has been calm since Israeli troops withdrewthis week.

From his perch, the result o the war is clear: The Hamasmilitant group to which el-Shami belongs is battered, butstill in charge o the Palestinian territory o Gaza and itdoesnt appear to be going anywhere.

No one can take the government rom us, says el-Shami,

42. Its ours orever.

The resilience o Hamas, which Washington classifes asa terrorist organization, highlights how hard it will be orPresident Obama to achieve his goal o a lasting peace inthe Middle East, a subject on which he expanded Thursdayor the frst time in oce.

As his special envoy to the region, Obama named GeorgeMitchell, a ormer senator who has undertaken a range otasks rom investigating steroid use in Major League Base-ball to helping negotiate peace in Northern Ireland.

The three-week war in Gaza helps show why 11 o Obamaspredecessors going back to Harry Truman, who waspresident when Israel was created in 1948 have beenunable to deliver lasting peace to the region.

Both sides in the war are claiming victories Hamas sur-vived Israels onslaught with its power intact, while Israelhas stopped Hamas rom fring rockets into its territory but the overall result has embittered people on both sides,

let a devastating human toll, and likely made reconcilia-tion even more distant than beore, analysts say.

Theres no doubt that Obama is committed to doing some-thing ... but I think that, ater Gaza, a ull-edged peaceprocess between Israelis and Palestinians just isnt likelyin the near term, said Yossi Alpher, a ormer deense ad-viser to Israel. Obama will probably have to ocus more onconict management, on trying to ensure hostilities dont

break out again.

The regions ever-shiting politics will complicate mattersIsraeli elections in February will result in a new govern-ment there, while Alpher says the comparatively moder-ate Fatah leadership o the other Palestinian territory, theWest Bank, aces an uncertain uture as well because ounrest over perceived corruption.

In act, the short-term uture seems to be the clearest inGaza, where there hasnt been widespread looting or anyvisible power struggles with internal rivals including Fa-tah, which Hamas kicked out o Gaza in a violent uprising

in 2007.

Stores, restaurants and markets have reopened. Work-ers are busy restringing power lines and shopkeepers aresweeping rubble rom the sidewalks in ront o their busi-nesses.

In short, the status quo is being restored and the pos-sibility that the oensive might result in Hamas collapseand the rise o a group more sympathetic to Israels exis-tence, seems to be ading.

From Hamas point o view, they won because they arestill in authority, says Abed al-Rahim al-Shalah, 36, a f-nancial auditor in Gaza.

A politically stronger Hamas

Obama has said he wants to stop the humanitarian suer-ing in Gaza, but giving aid to the territory has its own risksanalysts say.

Page 11


12/19



Every dollar to Gaza stands to be a huge beneft to Hamas,says Aaron David Miller, a ormer Middle East adviser to six

U.S. secretaries o state and author o The Much Too Prom-ised Land: Americas Elusive Search or Arab-Israeli Peace.

Abdel Monem Said Aly, director o the Al-Ahram Center orPolitical and Strategic Studies, a think tank in neighboringEgypt, says Hamas lost some o its (military) power, inthe conict, but as a political movement it got more.

Hamas is not popular in Gaza, some Palestinians say. Butit remains the strongest organization in the territory, ex-ercising control over everything rom health clinics to thepolice since it kicked out Fatah. Most people dont likeHamas, but they cant do anything, al-Shalah says. Theyare scaring and rightening everyone.

Hamas interior minister and some o its top military lead-ers were killed in Israeli airstrikes, and the rest remain inhiding. A guard outside the coastal home o Ismail Haniya,Hamas senior leader in Gaza, said the amily had to leavethe house but under normal circumstances would be gladto speak.

El-Shami, the police captain, said Hamas senior leadershipis able to issue orders and remain in control even whileout o public view. While talking with a visitor, he was

interrupted by gunfre down the street. Immediately, hedispatched some ocers, who grabbed their AK-47s andsprinted toward the street.

The men came back to report the shooting was rom a u-neral procession o a martyr one o the roughly 1,300Palestinians who the United Nations says were killed dur-ing the war. Mourners marched down the street carrying acon and fring weapons into the air. Everything is undercontrol, el-Shami declares.

Many police acilities and government buildings lie in ruinsaround the city. The parliament building has been reduced

to rubble. Many homes north o Gaza City have been de-stroyed, leaving amilies homeless.Kunan Ubaid, deputy chairman o the Palestinian EnergyAuthority, said 200,000 homes in Gaza have no power andmany others have only intermittent electricity.

We dont have the supplies to fx anything, Ubaid said,as he juggled a cellphone and land line and monitored re-ports on repairs to power lines and transormers.

Even so, residents o Gaza, where 1.5 million people livein a territory roughly twice the size o Washington, D.C.

seemed eager to ignore the remaining problems and geton with daily routines. Thursday, donkey carts laden withvegetables jockeyed or space with cars and ans. Marketswere ull with resh strawberries and other produce.

Im opening now because I want to get back to a normalie, says Rami el-Khaldi, who owns a small ower shopstocked with plastic arrangements. During the war noone was concerned about owers.

Dim hopes or peace

Israeli public opinion about the Gaza war remained ex-tremely avorable during the war, with 94% o those sur-veyed supporting the operation in a poll released by TeAviv University during the conicts fnal week.

Thirteen Israelis, among them 10 soldiers, died during thefghting, Israel says.

The wars popularity is explained in part by lingering dis-trust toward the peace process among many Israelis sinceollowing the collapse o talks brokered by President Clin-ton at Camp David in 2000, which unleashed a new Pales-tinian intiada, or uprising.

Martin van Creveld, a ormer proessor at Hebrew Uni-versity who has written our books about Israeli deensecounts himsel among that skeptical crowd.

There was a time 10 years ago when I had great hopes orthe peace process, he says. No longer.

He calls the Gaza war a success because it stopped Hamasrocket fre and he says its just the latest example o Is-rael hitting its neighbors over the head to demonstrateits military power. He says that going back to the 1970sIsraels use o disproportionate orce against Egypt, Jor-

dan, Syria, and most recently against Hezbollah militantsin Lebanon in 2006, was eective enough to intimidate itsoes and ensure that a relative calm ollowed.

Thats not peace, but at least its the absence o blood-shed, van Creveld says. And in my mind, thats a hell oa lot.

Yoram Ettinger, a ormer minister or congressional rela-tions at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, is among thoseIsraelis who think that a lasting peace deal is impossible as

Page 12


13/19



long as Hamas remains in power and thereore wishesthe Gaza oensive had gone even urther.

Terrorism and the peace process constitute an oxymo-ron, Ettinger says. Anyone who wants to advance peacehas to frst get rid o Hamas.

That broad skepticism o the peace process among Israe-lis, reinorced by the Gaza war, could prove to be one othe most ormidable medium-term obstacles to a deal, vanCreveld says.

I would like very much to see an American administra-tion that has what it takes to bend our heads together tostop us fghting each other, he says. But is it likely? No,

no. Both sides here are just too stubborn ater this war,more so.

Desperation on the streets

Minds may be even harder to change in Gaza because othe humanitarian crisis.

About 70% o the population are reugees, many o whomdepend on United Nations ood aid. At a small warehousein Gaza City, hundreds o people lined up or rations o sug-ar, rice, cooking oil and our. The oor was coated with athick layer o our as U.N. workers scurried around, push-

ing wheelbarrows ull o our, sugar and other supplies.

The number o amilies receiving ood aid in Gaza City hasincreased to 22,000 rom 18,000 beore the war, accordingto U.N. statistics.

In Gaza City on Thursday, Abdel el-Kader abu Dalal, a 54-year-old carpenter, says he waited in line or more thantwo hours or his ration.

Beore the war, he says, he usually waited only 15 minutesor the ood, which he uses to help eed his amily o sev-

en.

The anger is diuse: Gazans remain angry at Arab govern-ments or not helping them when they were under attackby Israel.

Mohammed Mahmud Ibrahim, 35, an economics teacherhere, says Saudi Arabia and Egypt dont want to makeproblems with Israel.

But, as has been the case here or as long as anyone canremember, most o the hatred is reserved or Israel andthe United States and although Obamas election has

stirred some hope or change here, most people dont ex-pect much.

He wont be worse than Bush, Shalah says, but I donthave any hope in the U.S. government.

El-Shami, the police captain, dismisses Obama as thesame as Bush.

For his part, el-Shami says hes not worried about when hispolice station will be rebuilt or even whether it will be. dont need an oce, he says. Our war with Israel is longI we rebuild it, Israel might destroy it again.

Contributing: Theodore May, Hasan Jaber, Tom Vanden Brook in Wash-ington, and Brian Winter in McLean, Va.

Page 13


14/19


As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Wednesday, January 7, 2009 Page 10A

Our View:Eorts to crush Hamas prompt

Arab street to rally behind it.

Israels bloody 11-day incursion into Gaza appears to have

two goals, one entirely justifed and one based on wishulthinking.

The frst is simply to stop the rocket attacks that havebeen coming rom Gaza, controlled by the militant groupHamas, into Israel. For this, Israel has every right, muchas the U.S. would i Mexicans sworn to the destruction oAmerica were fring missiles rom Juarez into El Paso.

The second, more expansive goal is to try to smash Hamasand turn the Palestinian masses against the group. As de-sirable as this might be given Hamas record o terrorism,decades o Middle East conict provide scant evidencethat Israel can achieve this objective by military means.

Decades o punishments rom assassinations to massimprisonments to confscation o Palestinians propertyand curtailment o their rights have only engenderedmore support or Palestinian leaders. Its a matter o hu-man nature, and the Israels latest oensive appears to beproducing more o the same. Tuesdays deaths o dozens oPalestinians sheltering at a United Nations school are likelyto intensiy the anti-Israeli backlash.

The lesson is that Israel needs to step back and fgure out

how to prevent the same cycle rom repeating withoutend: Israel punishing innocent Palestinians in response toterrorism, inevitably stirring up more radicalization, re-sentment and retaliation.

Popular support or terrorism typically ends when peoplesee a uture or themselves. The Irish Republican Armys

horrifc bombings petered out as people on both sides inNorthern Ireland got tired o violence and were steeredinto a credible political process. The Palestinians own tan-gled history with Israel tells a similar tale.

The Palestinian Liberation Organization was once as vio-

lent and as bent on Israels destruction as Hamas is today(though without Hamas radical Islamic ervor). But thePLO came to accept Israels right to exist under the OsloPeace Accord signed in 1994, which promised Palestiniansa homeland.

The PLOs iconic leader, Yasser Araat, ultimately renegedon a fnal peace deal with Israel. But the ramework o atwo-state solution remains much as it was outlined in thelast days o the Clinton presidency eight years ago.

Ater Araat died in 2004, Palestinians became disenchant-ed with his Fatah successors because o corruption that

kept them mired in poverty and without that all-impor-tant path to a better lie. Hamas won elections in 2006 be-cause it promised a way orward, lavished social servicesand benefts on Palestinians and vowed to end corruptionBut it remained committed to terrorism.

Israels eorts to split Palestinians rom Hamas, howeverhave long lacked the needed carrots to match its sticksIt has particularly ailed to build up Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas, whose government controls the largerPalestinian territory in the West Bank and who wants tobe a constructive alternative.

Israel deserves to be sae rom Hamas rockets. But it cantensure lasting security by going ater tactical successeslikely to radicalize Palestinians over the long term.

Israels tactics in Gazainvite Palestinian backlash

Page 14

Todays debate: The Middle East


15/19


As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Wednesday, January 7, 2009 Page 10A

Opposing View:Eliminating the Hamas obstacle isonly way to advance peace process.

By Jonathan Peled

Israel as every country has the right to sel-deense.

That said, its massive bombardment o Gaza, with hun-dreds o militants and civilians killed, is a high-stakes gam-ble that puts a credible long-term solution o two peace-ul states living side by side at risk.

The immediate problem is straightorward enough. OnDec. 19, the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which con-trols the land neighboring Israel known as the Gaza Strip,ended a six-month truce. The truce had been brokeredby Egypt ater a major Israeli incursion into Gaza. Hamasrocket fre into southern Israel has claimed some casual-ties, keeping Israelis insecure and in retaliatory mood.

Hamas says its missile fre is justifed. It contends that Isra-el is behaving like a capricious jailer to Gazas Palestinians.Besides controlling air and sea access, Israel wont openborder crossings into Israel with any consistency as aresult, Palestinians dont have access to the regular tradeand jobs that can make their economy viable. Palestiniansin Gaza live in dire and growing poverty. All o that is true,but Hamas could change the situation in an instant simplyby credibly recognizing Israels right to exist.

These mutual grievances need addressing. The best way isthrough negotiations that involve the United States return-ing to its ormer role as an engaged and honest broker.

At the moment, thats easier said than done. President Bushhas done little to check Israel when it has stepped out oline, including continuing to build settlements on disputedland, and President-elect Barack Obamas policies have yetto emerge, encouraging Israels high-risk gamble.

Further, Israel itsel is also in the unsettled run-up to elec-tions in February. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who hasresigned because o a scandal, wants to redeem his repu-

tation or bungling Israels 2006 war against Hezbollah inLebanon. And Deense Minister Ehud Barak wants to be acredible rival as the ront-runners Foreign Minister TzipiLivni and ormer prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vie or the Im tougher than you crown.

Israel deserves security. The Palestinians deserve econom-ic viability. Perhaps outsiders most likely Egypt or theUnited States can help broker a new cease-fre. Howevethe present horror ends, it will have made it more dicultor the incoming Obama administration to get Israel andthe Palestinians to peaceul coexistence.

Thats too bad. Because its not the details that are impos-sible. Many were hammered out by previous administra-tions. It is how to get there. The present repeated rocketattacks and massive retaliation makes it ar tougher bystirring anger and divisions in the region and the world.

Jonathan Peled is the israeli embassys spokesman in Washington.

Page 15

Israels inalienable right

Todays debate: The Middle East


16/19


As seen in USA TODAY NEWS Section, Friday, May 29, 2009 Page 4A

Obama sets terms or Mideast peaceSays security, halt to settlements are needed or accord

From Wire Reports

WASHINGTON President Obama said Israel must haltexpansion o its settlements on the West Bank and Pales-tinians must stop inaming anti-Israeli sentiment or thereto be any chance o achieving a peace accord.

Obama spoke ater an Oval Oce meeting Thursday withPalestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. TheAmerican leader said Israelis and Palestinians must takesteps i they are to realize a peace agreement that will al-low them to live side by side.

Obamas comments came on the same day Israel reused ademand to reeze construction in the West Bank, land thatPalestinians want to claim or themselves.

We need to get this thing back on track, Obama said.

Abbas said time is o the essence in moving orwardon the peace process. While echoing Abbas on urgency,

Obama said he has no artifcial timetable to reach an ac-cord.

Ater leaving the White House, Abbas was scheduled tomeet with Secretary o State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The meeting o the two presidents came 10 days aterObama hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Next week, Obama will travel to the Middle East to conerwith the leaders o Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

In his May 18 session with Netanyahu, Obama urged theIsraeli leader to support Palestinian statehood and saida peace agreement would give the United States moreleverage in trying to thwart Irans nuclear program. Hesaid he told Netanyahu that the settlements have to bestopped.

Netanyahu said he was willing to begin talks with the Pal-estinians immediately, although he declined to endorseObamas call or a two-state solution to the conict.

Ater returning to Israel, Netanyahu rejected Obamas pleato stop Jewish settlements in the West Bank, creating aresh obstacle to reviving peace talks with the Palestin-ians.

Obama made clear ater his meeting with Abbas that heexpects the Palestinians to uphold their commitmentsincluding enhanced security in the West Bank. He askedAbbas to reduce anti-Israel sentiments.

We are ully committed to all o our obligations, Abbassaid.

Obama has linked progress on the Israeli-Palestinian con-ict with pressuring Iran to the negotiating table.Next week, Obama is set to travel to the region, stoppingin Saudi Arabia on Wednesday beore going to Cairo to de-liver a speech that he said is aimed at improving U.S. rela-tions with the Muslim world.

Page 16


17/19



Comments rom around the worldon address

Page 17

President Obamas speech in Cairo was aimed at the Muslim world and beyond. Here are excerpts rom the speech and retions rom those who listened.


18/19


Discussion Questions

Using the articles and resources listed in this case study to gain a sense o the history o conict in the Middle East1.identiy the various seeds o discord that have contributed to the ongoing, chronic nature o the violence. How

have these actors impacted the ailure o the presidents going back to Harry Truman to deliver lasting peace in theregion?

Anthony Cordesman, Middle East expert, * thinks the war in Aghanistan will be won with programs like the Guards2.Agribusiness Development Team eort. ** These are the tactics that have been responsible or virtually every mod-ern success in irregular warare, and the Guards eorts are an example o the only path to success, he says. Giventhe root causes or violence that you identifed in the question above, give concrete examples o how similar tacticsmight be applied to quell the ongoing violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Ingeneral, would that modetranslate to the overall Middle East crisis as well?

General Petraeus claims to have gleaned three bullet points rom reading Three Cups o Tea by Greg Mortenson3.and David Oliver Relin***: build relationships, listen more, and have more humility and respect. How might theseprinciples be incorporated into the Obama administrations strategy to quell violence in the Middle East? To whatdegree, i any, should they be considered as guiding principles when determining oreign policy? To what degreecan we defne security and basic needs as being one more important than the other or as being mutually sup-portive?

What are the most likely changes in oreign policy, in general, and Middle East strategy, in particular, rom the Bush ad-4.ministration to the Obama administration? What lessons might President Obama take rom the long-term ailure to fndpeace in the region? How does his selection o George Mitchell as special envoy to the region reect on his likely strategy?

* Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, Center or Strategic and International Studies http://csis.org/expert/anthony-h-cordesman** http://www.army.mil/aps/08/inormation_papers/other/ARNG_Agribusiness_Development_Team.html*** http://www.threecupsotea.com

Future Implications

Enumerate the challenges or Israel as they pursue oensives in Gaza. What eect did the recent siege have on the1.relationship between Hamas and its supporters? How did civilian casualties aect Israels relationship with its neigh-bors and impact its image abroad? What ramifcations are likely i Israel is unable to signifcantly weaken Hamasmilitary power?

Israeli-American historian Michael Oren said another Palestinian uprising, or intiada, was unlikely as a result o the2.violence in Gaza, but the chances or a snowballing regional conagration are not insignifcant. How would con-tinuing violence impact the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and stability in the wider region?

Mahmoud Abbas blames Hamas or bringing the raids on Gaza by not extending the six-month cease-fre with Israel3.Ultimately, was Hamas or Israel seen as the antagonist in the latest conict? Explain. What is meant by the Palestin-

ians never lose an opportunity to lose an opportunity? Express why you believe this is correct or incorrect.

Voices Extension

Explore the arguments and questions regarding the war in Iraq on the Voices site at: http://www.usatodayeducate.com/collegiatereadership/index.php/issue-iraq. In what ways is our way orward in Iraq inormed by the current vio-lence in the Middle East?


19/19

R i d i h i i All i h d P 19

Divide the class into two parts, A and B. In each group, assign one o the ollowing countries to a student or small groupo students: Aghanistan, Egypt, India, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Each groupshould study the history o their chosen country or people, the seeds o any conicts (both past and present), the needso their citizens going orward and compromises that they might oer to other countries.

Select one representative rom each country in Group A to meet as a group and discuss mutual solutions to providecitizens with security and a degree o prosperity.

Those in Group B representing Egypt, Jordan and Israel should meet, establish common needs, etc and send a rep-resentative to meet with Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. The representative rom this group should then meet with theSaudi representative with the goal o ending hostilities and establishing diplomatic and normal relations with Israel andproviding a minimum guarantee o security and prosperity to all players in the region.

How did the results o each method o diplomacy (direct or negotiated) dier? Which proved the most eective at end-

ing conict or providing a path orward or peace and security?

The Foundation or Middle East Peace (FMEP) umep.org

A nonproft organization that promotes peace between Israel and Palestine, via two states, that meets the un-damental needs o both peoples. FMEP oers speakers, sponsors programs, makes small grants, and publishesthe Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories containing analysis, commentary, maps, and otherdata on the Israeli-Palestinian conict.

The Alliance or Middle East Peace (ALLMEP)uallmep.org/allmep_v1/index.php

ALLMEP is an exciting new coalition o 57 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), who promote people-to-people coexistence between Arabs and Jews, Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East. Through ALLMEPAmericans rom diverse religious, ethnic, and political backgrounds can fnally join together in support o reaeorts to build lasting peace in the region. Explore member activities at: http://www.allmep.org/allmep_v1/members.php

MidEast Webumideastweb.org/history.htm

Israel and Palestine: Middle East Historical and Peace Process Source Documents

Peace in the Middle Eastumiddleeast.change.org

For much o the contemporary world, the Middle East is viewed through the narrow lens o the Israeli-Pal-

estinian conict. Yet the region is flled with myriad peoples, religions, political identities, and cultures thatextend ar beyond the strip o land comprising the modern state o Israel and the Palestinian territories. Anappreciation or the complexities o this region is essential to our understanding. Guide Charles Lenchner isa nonproft proessional with 20 years o experience working with nonproft organizations in Israel, Palestineand the U.S.

The White Houseuwhitehouse.gov/inocus/mideast

U.S. Department o State

ustate.gov/p/nea/rt/c2829.htm

Action

Additional Resources