1. IMRA asked Ami Isseroff, one of the Israelis who signed the statement
(see below for the text):
For the record, can you clarify if you think that "joining" the Arab Peace
Initiative = accepting the Arab Peace Initiative's position that the Arab
demand for complete withdrawal from the West Bank (including eastern
Jerusalem) and Golan Heights is a non-negotiable demand or do you think that
it is possible to "join" the Arab Peace Initiative without accepting its
explicitly stated requirement (as mentioned in the joint statement)?
For the record, can you clarify if you think that "joining" the Arab Peace
Initiative = accepting the Arab Peace Initiative's position that Israel's
security concerns can be sufficiently addressed by some form of guarantee
issued by the 22 Arab states?
I am asking this because there seems to be considerable confusion these days
about the Arab Peace Initiative. The Arabs keep explaining that its basic
outline is not negotiable. Sec'y Rice seems to say the same thing. And
then we have Israelis who seem to be saying that they don't really believe
the Arabs when they say that the basic outline is not negotiable so they
think we should say we accept it even if we don't.
There are of course those who genuinely believe that if we withdraw to the
'67 lines that we will enjoy Utopian peace. And that's fine as long as they
are up front that their policy recommendations are "faith based".
2. Ami Isseroff replied:
The walrus has asked the oyster to join him for dinner.
Yes I think that it is possible to "join" the Arab Peace Initiative without
accepting its explicitly stated requirement if it is stated. For one thing,
I think that it says "1967 borders." East Jerusalem was not recognized as
part of the West Bank by the UN or most other countries in 1967. Obviously
we don't agree to ROR or to return of East Jerusalem.
I think that the statement is poorly worded, but the idea is that
Palestinians, along with other Arabs will say that they recognize the right
of Israel to exist in return for territorial concessions. This would
isolate the Hamas and the Iranians. The Syrians would have no choice except
to go along if they want to get the Golan back.
I think that given that the US is pushing this initiative too, there isn't
going to be much choice except to say "We are willing to negotiate on the
basis of our understanding of 242 and 194" in return for Arab and
Palestinian recognition of the right of self-determination for the Jewish
people and the legitimacy of the Jewish state.
If we do not like that peace initiative, we had better come up with some
peace initiative of our own that has a realistic chance of acceptance by the
EU and USA. Something like Geneva Accords or the Clinton proposals. We got
into this mess in part because we had no such plan that the US could back.
Annexing the West Bank is NOT going to get US approval, and unilateral
withdrawal won't either.
We will either withdraw gracefully and get "peace" for whatever it is worth,
or very likely we will be forced out by international resolutions. Which do
you prefer??
If the US doesn't want Israel to negotiate with Syria, why is Rice backing
the Arab initiative? Don't know.
============
3. Arab Peace Initiative: Israeli- Palestinian Joint Statement
03/24/2007
We are pleased to bring to your attention this important joint statement of
Israelis and Palestinians.
On the 28th of this month, the Arab League Summit will be held in Riyadh/
Saudi Arabia. One of the questions that are facing the summit will be: What
to do in order to promote the Arab Peace Initiative adopted by the Arab
Summit of Beirut 2002.
The significance of the Arab Peace Initiative is that it provides all
interested and concerned parties with a comprehensive solution process in
order to solve all the aspects of the Middle East conflict. For Israel it's
significance is that it provides Israel with recognition, normalization and
security guaranteed by 22 Arab countries together provided it withdraws from
all the Arab territories occupied in 1967 and provided it adheres to "an
agreed upon just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem that is
achieved in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194"'. For the
Palestinians it means the establishment of a Palestinian independent state
based on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital. For the Syrians it
means the return of the Golan Heights.
With the impasse in the peace process, and with the failure of the gradual
solutions in the last 15 years, the Arab Peace Initiative provides the
alternative way-out towards comprehensive peace and reconciliation.
We, the undersigned, call upon you to immediately act in cooperation with
the civil society organizations in your country and with your network in
order to:
1) Urge all Middle Eastern governments and in particular the Palestinian and
the Israeli ones to join the Arab Peace Initiative in order to open the door
for a comprehensive peace process, and to a final solution to the Israeli
Palestinian conflict.
2) Urge Israeli and Palestinian civil societies to mobilize Israeli and
Palestinian public opinion in support of this process and its declared
objectives
3) Call your government to act in that direction.
Please also develop any other activities that you feel necessary through
statements, joint statements, meetings with the decision makers, or any
other type of activities.
In order to inform the others about what we are doing in this regard, please
send us the information to walid@panoramacenter.org , or Izhak:
schnell@post.tau.ac.il , samankhoury@pdf-palestine.org , Dan:
jacobson@post.tau.ac.il.
Good Luck and Best Regards
Walid Salem, Izhak Schnell, Saman Khoury, Dan Jacobson
Bringing Peace Together Project
Signatures
1) Dr. Fadwa Al-Labadi , Art College in Al-Quds University, 2) Saman Khoury
, Peace and Democracy Forum, 3) Hanna Seniora , IPCRI, 4) Ziad Abu Zayyad ,
PIJ Editor, 5) Walid Salem , Panorama Center, and the Society for Democracy
and Community Development, 6) Eng. Ali Abu Shahla/ Gaza, 7) Abdullah
Kisswani, The Center for Citizenship and Democracy Transformation, 8) Iman
Ratrout , Al-Quds Open University, 9) Usama Abu Karsh , Combatants for
Peace, 10) Sulieman Al-Khatib, Combatants for Peace, 11) Sami Al-Jundi ,
IPCRI, 12) Ashraf Al-Ajrami/Gaza , Writer, 13) Ata Al-Qaymari , Director of
Al-Masdar Center, 14) Adel Ruished , Lecturer in Al-Quds University, 15)
Lily Feidy , Secretary General (MIFTAH), 16) Dr. Ahmad Majdalani, 17) Dr.
Salma Majdalani, 18) Sami Al-Kilani, Palestinian Writer, 19) Jonathan
Kuttab, Lawyer, 20) Nadine Hassassian, Daughter of Ambassador to London
Prof. Mannauel Hassassian, 21) Dr. Nazmi Al Jubeh, 22) Naim Ashhab, 23)
Suleiman Abu Dayyeh , Palestine Desk Officer for Fr. Nauman Foundation:
Palestine, 24) Dr. Yasser Abu Khater , Legal Advisor, 25) Michael Younan,
GIS CAD Mapping and IT Partner, 26) Fadel Tahboub, 27) Dr. Yousef Natsheh,
28) Abdullah Tayeh : Gaza, 29) Dr. Mahmoud Kalifeh : Gaza, Writer, 30) Rajab
Abu Sarriyeh: Gaza , Writer, 31) Salem Abu Salem: Gaza , Ministry of
Information/Gaza, 32) Akram Atallah , Journalist and Writer, 33) Dr. Faisal
Awartani, Chief Executive Officer: Alpha International, 34) Dr. Mohammed
Dajani , 35) Dr. Munther Dajani, 36) Qaddoura Fares, Previous PLC member,
37) Rami Nasrallah, Director International Peace and Cooperation Center, 38)
Zahra Khalidi, Palestine Israel Journal, 39) Faisal Al-Shawa: Gaza,
Engineer, 40) Nabil Abu Mieleq: Gaza, Engineer, 41) Mohammed Al-Talbani:
Gaza, Head of the House of Commerce in the Middle area of Gaza, 42) Hayat
Abu-Saleh, the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, 43) Fahmi Al-Za'arir, Head of
Fatah Youth in West Bank, 44) Haitham Arar , Head of the Palestinian
Federation of Women- Ramallah Branch, 45) Wafa Abdel Rahman, Director/
Filastiyyat Center/ Ramallah, 46) Walid Al-Bayed, Head of Fatah/ Ramallah,
47) Walid Wahdan, Fatah/ Ramallah, 48) Hijazi Al-Ja'abari, Fatah/ Hebron,
49) Noor Eddin Shihadeh, Cultural Committee/Tulkarem, 50) Hisham Abdel
Razeq, Previous Minister of Prisoners, 51) Sufian Abu Zaideh, Previous
Minister, 52) Jihad Abu Znead, PLC Member, 53) Said Zeedani, 54) Talal
Assayad , Fatah/ Al-Tour, 55) Rima Rizeq, Secretary, 56) Rima Hawwash,
Administrative Assistant, 57) Fadwa Nummar, Volunteer, 58) Wafa Bukhari,
Social worker, 59) Bassam Qawasmi, Employee, 60) Rana Izhiman, Secretary,
61) Ra'eda Shabaneh, Employee, 62) Najwa Silwadi, Al-Quds University
Community Services Center, 63) Omar Khatib, Director of Tourist Company, 64)
Ziad Shamali, Head of Al-Zitinieh Center, 65) Iman Narsely, Women Salon, 66)
Khowla Hirbawi , Social Worker, 67) Adel Awadallah, Building Contractor, 68)
Mohammed Salameh , Head of Al-Oyoun Center, 69) Wael Shabab, Director in the
Ministry of Youth and sports
Supporting Israeli Signatures for Joint Statement
Ilan Gilon (Former MK), Eti Livni - Former MK, Janet Aviad, Amos Oz, Prof.
Rachel Alterman, Prof. Raphael Walden MD, Physicians for Human Rights, Dr.
Zvia Walden, Mossi Raz - Former MK, PN, Prof. Galia Golan - PN, Herzlia
Efrati - Machsom Watch, Anat Maor - Former MK, Avshalom (Abu) Vilan - MK,
Ran Cohen - MK, Haim (Jumes) Oron - MK, Daniela Yoel, Dr. Zvia Greenfield,
David Grossman, Yael Dayan - Deputy Mayor of Tel-Aviv, Former MK, Reuven
Kaminer - PN, Dr. Noam Kaminer, Prof. Daniel Bar-Tal, Yehudit Korin, Yaron
Friedman, Prof. Moshe Maoz, Dror Mizrachi, Adv. Yfat Sollel, Rachel Bar-Or,
Dr. Abigail Jacobson - Hands of Peace, Prof. Dan Jacobson, Dror Etkes - PN,
Naftali & Naomi Raz - Peace Initiatives, Frof. Yitzhak Schnell, Daniela
Gordon, Yair Tzaban - Former Minister, Prof. Naomi Chazan - Former MK, Dr.
Doreet Hopp, Prof. Dan Bar-On, Yosi Marziano, Prof. Dahlia Moore, Dr. Edy
Kaufman, Prof. Gad Barzilai, Hillel Schenker - Co-Editor PIJ, Zvi Kesse,
Prof. Yigal Elam, Roni Ferber, Dr. Avner Ben-Amos, Prof. Gabi Salomon, Dr.
Baruch Ovadia, Gershon Baskin, Elisheva Eitan - Machsom Watch, Ela
Greenberg, Prof. Avi Sagi-Schwartz, Danny Gal, Dr. Danny Filk, MD - Chair,
Physicians for Human Rights, Shaul Arieli - Geneva Accords, Prof. Tamar
Herman, Noga Kadman, Dr. Itzhak Levav MD, Prof. Nissim Calderon, Daniela
Beilin, Idit Nathan, Dr. Riva Bachrach, Judith Harel, Michael Mitzman, Prof.
Joseph Neuman, Sara Rose, Hagit Ofran, Dr. Menachem Klein -Geneva Accords,
Dr. Dorit Eldar-Avidan, Sheila Shoenberg, Yair Inov - PN ( Peace Now), Rany
Trainin, Latif Dori, Adv. Gabi Laski, Ari Kernerman, Benjamin Perl, Dror
Mizrachi, Dan Keidar, Alex Massis, Prof. Oren Yiftachel, Dr. Elie
Cohen-Gewerc, Miriam Granot, Dina Smadar, Prof. Avshalom Meir, Moshe & Lea
Sluzki, Gila Svirski, Dr. Dave Kimche, Sharon Dolev, Judith Hefetz, Silvia
Bujavi, Dr. Izhak Greenberg, Sami Michael , Yonah Michael, Susie Becher,
Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, Clara Rubinowicz - Lewi, Dr. Anat First, Prof.
Elie Podeh,Dr. Ami Isseroff, Director, MidEastWeb for Coexistence
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