Next Tuesday, I’ll have the honor of being part of a panel of people speaking on the theme of “Re-calculating Annapolis”, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
The co-panelists will be Rob Malley, head of the Crisis Group’s Middle East department; Daniel Levy, whiz-kid of the Israeli peace movement; Andrew Whitley, currently with UNRWA, previously head of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East division; and Ghaith al-Omari, previously an advisor to Abu Mazen.
Here are the sponsors of the event:
- Churches for Middle East Peace
Americans for Peace Now
Brit Tzedek v’Shalom
Israel Policy Forum
The Arab American Institute
American Task Force on Palestine, and
The Foundation for Middle East Peace
Amb. Phil Wicox, the president of FMEP and a distinguished former US diplomat, including head of Counter-terrorism, will be chairing the discussion.
Every single one of these organizations does a great job and has talented and thoughtful people working for it. It is particularly great that work together on projects like this one, demonstrating right here in Washington DC that Arab-Israeli peace is not a zero-sum game in which if one “side” wins the other loses. Not at all! With a sustainable, fair peace agreement, everyone wins.
(Disclosures: I have sat on the Leadership Council of Churches for Middle East Peace since the LC was founded four or five years ago. FMEP has on occasion given support to my travel expenses, including for my latest visit to Damascus.)
It should be an interesting discussion. A lot has changed since the Annapolis conference, which was only ten weeks ago. Of course, a lot has also stayed the same: lack of progress in the negotiations; Israeli settlement projects continuing to get funded and built, especially in and around Jerusalem; deadly conflict between Israel and Gaza, impacting mainly on Gaza but spreading fear and uncertainty both sides of the line; another suicide bombing in Israel; Israel. the US, and– particularly tragically– also Fateh continuing to try to exclude and crush Hamas despite its popular support; re-marginalization of Syria from the diplomacy; etc.
If you’re interested in coming to the discussion, you will need to RSVP to the email address given on the announcement as they need an idea of the numbers to provide the light lunch to. This is planned as a “widely attended event”, so members of Congress and their staffers are allowed to take advantage of the free lunch offer.
If you can’t make it, I imagine they’ll be videoing it for C-SPAN so you can watch it later.
I really don’t know how Daniel Levy can be described as a whiz kid if the peace movement. I heard him ask Malley at a New America Foundation event re the Hamas boycott: “we’ve even gotten Palestinians to start shooting each other [meaning Fatah/Hamas]. isn’t this a winning strategy?”
Yeah, a real peacenik.
I am so grateful to hear the news that such a serious conference relating to real middle east peace is taking place right in the midst of all those who have failed to keep our country neutral in the middle of settling the problem. As an American I am ashamed that my country has supported with arms and ammunition any conflict that should be decided through diplomacy and being an honest broker. The tragedy is that so much money has been spent for unnecessary wars rather than peaceful and helpful projects through the years. Don
Daniel Levy is certainly not a whiz Kid, what he is is the son of a very powerful (and crooked) British politician. His stature is the result of his fathers fund raising power, not any particular genius on his part.
But more disturbing, the American Task Force on Palestine is the most anti-Palestinian lobby organization in Washington. They advocate positions that are hardly distinguishable from those of AIPAC, but they cloak themselves in the Palestinian flag. In the proces they discredit the entire Palestinian movement and reinforce the occupation. For example, in a forum a few months ago, I heard Mr. Ghaith al-Omari actually advocate the siege of Gaza and encourage Israel to maintain it and strengthen it. This is despicable. These people have become so close to power and Israel that they even puppet vial views, in order to promote themselves as “moderate”. They are not a peace group, but a war group. they disgust me, and I am sorry to hear someone as honorable as Helena Cobban say that they are doing “a great job”.
Further, in terms of this panel, why isn’t there anyone representing the left or the Islamists? There doesn’t seem to be able party that rejects the basis of these discussions. And that is completely unfair, and more reason why there needs to be a re-calculation of Annapolis. Ironically, some of the panelists will probably advocate talking to Hamas and the left, but obviously that doesn’t count for the panel itself!
Two things rise here.
In all sort of these discussions and media attractions conferences we hear this and that, all or most of them “White” who specialists in ME!! But what real view and thinking in their mind some need to guess.
As for ME people, we seeing picked people to be represents in some of these events like what Helena telling us the Arab represent by “Ghaith al-Omari, previously an advisor to Abu Mazen.“.
Did this guy fill full ME list of problems? Can he speak on behalf of them? Did really have the passion to do so?
Again and again as we saw with Iraq hand picked people trying to make themselves through these media causing events we saw with Kanan Makiya and other Iraq folk who are really interested for their necessities rather that ME problems.
Any way good luck for you Helena however there is no faith with these ongoing events as it’s proved they are hot air.
H, and other readers, both those with genuine interest and dialogue as well perpertrators of polemics, what of the agenda for this talk being titled:
Toward a Cessation of Human Suffering?
Clearly people on both sides of the border live in terror-What of a peacekeeping force?
One has to ask what point is there to this meeting given that Hamas refuses to accept the two state solution and recognise Israel?
The rocket attacks/retaliations are inexorably racheting up and now Hamas has renewed suicide bombings. One can only conclude that Hamas’s strategy is ticking on nicely: negotations won’t go anywhere and there will be no “two states”.
Presumably, also, there’ll be no resolution from this meeting calling on Hamas to accept two states and recognise Israel as the PA has done?
Hamas can therefore safely conclude it can proceed on its long term strategy with the acquiesance and even encouragement of western pacifists. So what IS the point?