• To lay out the main points of the peace process that started with the Oslo Accords in 1993 and continued
through the Road Map and Israel’s unilateral disengagement from Gaza in 2005, and to describe some of the obstacles to realization of these plans.
• To introduce the different leaders on each side during the peace process and to show that while leaders in Israel and the U.S. came from different parties, their different approaches still did not manage to resolve the conflict. (See grid on page 23.)
• To document some of the obstacles to realizing these peace initiatives, such as the terrorist activity that
escalated between 1993 and 2000, the Intifada, Palestinian incitement against Israel, and the issue of Israeli settlements and counterterrorism measures. (See grid on terrorism.) |
1. Why did Israel and Yasser Arafat of the PLO agree to negotiate in 1993, and what were the goals of the peace
process? How would you measure whether these goals had been met? (See first three paragraphs on p. 21 for
this discussion.)
2. If you were making peace with a former enemy, what issues would you be willing to negotiate and compromise on, and which issues would you not put on the table? How would you apply these criteria to Palestinian-Israeli negotiations?
3. Why did the Oslo Accords leave “final status issues”—the most difficult issues—to be negotiated at the end of five years? Do you think this was a wise decision? Why or why not?
4. What factors undermined the peace process? How could the process have been more successful?
5. What is incitement? What role do you think the media, religious institutions and schools should play in promoting peace? How do you think you and your friends would be affected if the media, religious institutions and your school all promoted dislike for a former enemy? How do you think peace can be taught?
6. What conclusions would you draw from the fact that there have been so many different peace plans since 1993: the Oslo Accords, the Road Map, and Israel’s unilateral disengagement from Gaza? How did they differ from one another? What other proposals would you make?
7. After Israel unilaterally withdrew from its security zone in Lebanon in the spring of 2000 and from Gaza in August 2005, terrorism from both areas escalated. How do these results affect your views about Israel just withdrawing from land that Palestinians claim?
8. Look at the two maps at the bottom of page 22. One is what Palestinians claim was offered at Camp David; the other is what U.S. Ambassador Dennis Ross claims was offered. What are the differences in the maps?
Which source would you believe? What are the implications for peace considering the two sides do not agree on what was discussed at their meetings?
9. What impact do you think the 2006 election of Hamas, which does not support any peace agreements and calls for an Arab-Muslim state to replace Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, has had on hopes for a peace agree- ment?
10. What role do you think the U.S., Arab countries and others should have in Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations? |
