Simulation: Quartet Meeting with Arab and Palestinian Group
Please post your comments here. This posting is mandatory. In about a paragraph or two summarize the substance of the discussions and the conclusion. How did the quartet respond to the demands and what alternative proposal, if any, did they make. Where do you see this negotiation heading? What should happen next?
27 Comments:
The Palestinian Group began by listing their agreed demands on the international community and Israel. I can only guess that due to the recent debacle in Iran and past history that the Arab group focused their discussion with Europe and the UN while ignoring the US representatives.
Their demands were quite extensive and detailed, which I'm sure someone else will report. It is obviously a very emotional period, and some of their demands were short-sighted or impractical. I voiced my opinion to the Quartet and UN that the United States and let alone Israel would never accept some of these demands. Nevertheless, it is comforting to see that no one is threatening or pursuing (as of yet) any military or terrorist options. I have faith that the Quartet and UN will stick to what we discussed in our initial meeting. Our original plan was both fair and practical for both Israel and Palestine. This is not a time for past grudges but for ensuring future lasting peace.
The problem of US-Iran relations has yet to be discussed. The Arab nations must disown Iran or Ahmadinejad's strong opinion must change to face realities.
- Peter Park
Senator Joe Biden, Chairman Foreign Relations
In meeting with the Palestinan group it was not surprising as to the length of their list of demands. The Quartet analyzed these demands and created a list of demands that would be agreeable, with some small alterations. However, the Quartet has not yet met with the Israeli group to discuss what their demands may be. After this meeting, we can come to an agreement that is suitable to both sides in hopes of finally achieving peace.
Kodwo Acquah - Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations
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Our meeting with the Quartet proved much less accomplishing than expected. Following the pattern they had followed before Israel's brutal attack on Clinton and the innocent school children, the quartet continued to show sympathy for the Zionist entity. The claims made by Syria and its Arab brothers were valid and just demands at such times, given that the existence of Israel as a partner for peace has finally been disproven.
Our wish for the return of the Golan Heights, a denuclearized Israel, the right of return, reparations from Israel for the destruction of Palestinian homes, and the restoration of pre-1967 borders were just a few of our legitimate demands. However, all of these demands were ignored save for the return to pre-1967 borders. When negotiating our demands with the Quartet, NATO claimed that some of our wishes were too much and wouldn't fly with Israel. Why do Israel's wishes weigh heavier than ours, especially in these trying times? If any other country had made the idiotic "mistake" that Israel made, a U.S. military invasion would be on its way. It is due time that the U.S. rethink its unwavering support for Israel.
Yardena Schwartz, Syria (Bashar al-Assad)
I also feel that some of the demands given by the Palestinian group, even as part of the Palestinian group, were far fetched, long, and impracticle. In negotiating these terms, I feel that many of them will not be met to the extent that we had hoped. The meeting was not very productive in that, perhaps because of the weird shaped table, many who were present did not get a strong say in anything. I felt that the meeting was not well organized.
It will certainly be interesting to see what will be accepted by Israel in the demands bestowed upon them by the Palestinian group. -Andrew Wilber/President Mubarak of Egypt
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The Quartet and the United States gave the appearance of strong apprehension to the vast majority of our demands on Israel. As the representative of the Palestinian Diaspora, I have been in contact with my large contingent of constituents, many of which have made excellent lives for themselves and their families in America. We are all extremely disappointed and surprised, especially the latter, that the wound caused by the murder of President-elect Clinton and the hundreds of innocent children which continues to bleed has not generated a greater shift in policy. On the backdrop of Israeli attack on the USS Liberty in 1967, how can Americans possibly ignore this second atrocity committed against them? Between the war against Hezbollah and this latest missile attack, Israel has proven itself to be amongst the world’s elite murderers of innocent children.
While it would be unreasonable to expect all of our demands to be met, the Quartet seemed unwilling to offer counter-proposals that would be an acceptable basis for negotiation. The future of these discussions will likely be in peril unless the decreased support for Israel espoused by U.S. government officials to their public becomes an actual reality at the bargaining table in the form of a shift in the balance of power in the Middle East. Therefore, in order to forge ahead with these monumental discussions, the Quartet must be willing to lean on Israel in order to help facilitate a compromise instead of forgetting that the U.S. is no longer willing to be the sole dissenting vote and vetoer of resolutions condemning Israel. For our part, the pro-Palestine group will carefully review our list of demands as well as any proposals or compromises offered by our counter-parts in these negotiations.
Jason Tarasco
Palestinian Diaspora
I saw the negations as constructive, as some things did get agreed on. I personally found it exciting that there was serious talk about a return of Israel to pre-1967 borders. The return of land to the Palestinian people and the establishment of a Palestinian state is a goal that we, along with the PA and the PLO have been working toward for a long time. We see this change as a step in the right direction for all parties involved.
The government of Lebanon would like to use this moment to speak to all Palestinians who have been living within the borders of Lebanon since the 1967 invastion. To you we say congratulations! Soon you will have a homeland to your own, and we vehemently encourage you to return to you rightful land and begin a new life in a new land, your land!
-J. Peter Letteney
The Government of Lebanon
The meeting with the Quartet proved to be less than satisfying and continued to reflect the typical pro-Israeli position in the face of legitimate demands made by and for the Palestinian people. The meeting itself was poorly organized and did not allow many of the Pro-Palestinian factions to partake in the discussions which might have been why more progress was not achieved. Although there were some concessions made by the Quartet representing a clear victory for the Palestinian people, there remain numerous important issues that must be discussed.
The continued resistance of NATO and other members of the Quartet to pressure Israel in the face of the current government’s obvious transgressions defy logic. I believe that Israel should be pressured to reform its government into a truly democratic state and to give the Arab population more power in the government and so that these types of mistakes will not continue to occur and jeopardize peace in the Middle East. It is obvious that additional talks must continue with greater representation and discussion among the participants. It is only through additional talks that the Pro-Palestinian group will be able to ensure that its demands are heeded and not put aside in favor of the Israeli position.
-Jacob Wishko, Representative of the Arab-Israeli population
(Azmi Bishara)
As the representative for the Arab American Lobby I was a bit disappointed that I did not get to meet with the bulk of US representatives. The meeting was dominated by the Quartet and it was their opinion that a lot of our demands were unreasonable or impractical as said by Joe Biden. I was a little surprised that the international community would be so inflexible on certain issues, which leads me to believe that the Pro Israeli groups have gotten to the Quartet first and have somehow already effectively sabotaged the possibility of any productive discussion from taking place. It is my fear that the Quartet will continue to dismiss many of our demands and that the plight of the Palestinian people will continue.
Arab American Lobby (Chris Eberle)
The meeting between the Quartet and the Palestinians and Arab groups was somewhat productive in that Palestinian and Arab demands were made known and the Quartet discussed these amongst ourselves. However it was difficult to have a discussion with all of the groups due to the sheer number of people that were involved. Because of this, the Quartet was only able to speak to a few representatives of the Palestinians and Arabs, in particular the Palestinian Authority.
-Ted Prettyman
Nicolas Sarkozy, French Minister of the Interior and 2007 French Presidential candidate
As a representative of the kingdom of Jordan, where 55% of the population is Palestinian, I strongly support the creation of a Palestinian state and the right of return for any displaced Palestinian people. However, Jordan is also at peace with Israel at this time and wishes for all negotiations to be as fair as possible.
Although I admit the Palestinian group's demands were a bit extensive, we feel that we are due some concessions after decades of mistreatment by Israel. However, it seemed that the quartet dismissed many of our demands as unreasonable and were unwilling to negotiate on most of them. Hopefully, our negotiations with representatives of the United States and Israel will be more productive though at this point, it is doubtful.
Our country added influence in what demands we wanted to be met from Israel during this trying time. It was very disappointing to see the quartet not wanting to meet these demands, still leaning towards Israel's side. You would imagine after the US's great loss of Mrs.Clinton and their children that the US would want to lean towards Palestinian's needs and not those of Israel any longer. Our country wants to back the Palestinian's with any funding it may need in order to negotiate more with the quartet. Palestinian's deserve to get some of their demands met by the quartet in this time. We will continue pushing for the pre-1967 borders to be returned and for Palestinian's to receive the rights they are owed.
Teresa Knag, Saudi Arabia
Firstly, as the Prime Minister of Egypt and Leader of the Arab Leauge, I would like to remind my fellow diplomats who have recently become upset about an oddly-shapped table or regardless, thier voice not being heard, please stand up next time. Move to where the action seems to be and speak up! The meeting will not come to you. With that said maybe we could think of some ways to better organize the short period of time that we have to discuss these important matters. Any ideas? Also in response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of Egypt, I felt that issues of right of return and the reperations to Palestine although they were not met, they were certainly not ignored. It is my understanding, and please someone correct me if I am misunderstanding, that economic aid was being discussed and it was a matter of how much aid would be given that was up in the air. The quartet also discussed declaring Jerusalem an international city, and ensuring international recognition of a Palestinian State; both of which I don't think were aforementioned. Perhaps we as Arab states and Palestinian groups should have been more concise with our demands, and prioritized them before meeting. I also wanted to address the quartet's overall concern for what Israel would be willing to accept, and using that as the deciding factor in determining what demands will be met. Israel has been weakened by a lack of support from the US. Israel's strong economy is not entirely dependent on US support, of course, but how confident could Israel be in making now potentially hazzardous decisions and placing demands? Not that they will fold to every demand, but Israel needs allies and will be more willing to negotiate now. This is the shift and this is what we as Arab nations and Palestinian groups are trying to take advantage of.
That being said, this shift in power has not just affected us locally. We need to be demanding globally, from the US and EU for example, whose alliances may be shifting. Egypt has recently become aware that US support for Israel is at an all time low domestically. Regardless of how interested the political leaders of the nation are, when over 90% of the population feels that support for Israel is a bad idea, you can't expect much from the leaders. Arab states could use this oppertunity to remind the citizens of the US why Palestinian opposition tends to be so strong (as President Ahmadinejad did on Fox News recently). We need to be looking globally as well as locally.
Frances Meres
-Prime Minister of Egypt,
Leader of the Arab Leauge
As the representative of the Current Adminstration to this meeting, I was concerned by the distribution of power. The meeting seemed to be dominated by members of the arab-isreali lobby in negotations with the EU,NATO and France. The lack of influence that was allowed by either myself or Senator Biden was very disappointing.
The current situation in Isreal will hopefully allow us to move towards a more stable middle east. Unfortunately it seems the powers of the Middle East are more interested in a laundry list of self-serving demands then sustainable peace.
Condoleeza Rice
US Secretary of State
(Mike DeVoll)
As the representative of the Current Adminstration to this meeting, I was concerned by the distribution of power. The meeting seemed to be dominated by members of the arab-isreali lobby in negotations with the EU,NATO and France. The lack of influence that was allowed by either myself or Senator Biden was very disappointing.
The current situation in Isreal will hopefully allow us to move towards a more stable middle east. Unfortunately it seems the powers of the Middle East are more interested in a laundry list of self-serving demands then sustainable peace.
Condoleeza Rice
US Secretary of State
(Mike DeVoll)
HAMAS
Although the details of the pro-Palestinian demands are not set, the Quartet did seem receptive to nearly all of our most important issues. At this time, the only demand the pro-Palestinian group is not willing negotiate is the establishment of a completely sovereign and independent Palestinian state. The meeting itself was not particularly productive; nothing was decided upon, but the Quartet seemed to imply that that our demands were reasonable. The Quartet is also aware that if at least some of our conditions are not met, factions of the pro-Palestinian group are willing to resort to less diplomatic measures....
It is overwhelming for a Quartet to meet with a significant amount of Pro-Arab organiztions, yet I feel that this meeting was far more productive then our meeting with President Bush and his advisors. The EU surely shows sympathy towards the Arab Nations, but this is a process and acquires due time. I am anticipating the feedback from the palestinian groups concerning what this quartet has allowed in their proposed resolution.
Matti Vanhanen
Prime Minister of Finland
President of The European Union
It is overwhelming for a Quartet to meet with a significant amount of Pro-Arab organiztions, yet I feel that this meeting was far more productive then our meeting with President Bush and his advisors. The EU surely shows sympathy towards the Arab Nations, but this is a process and acquires due time. I am anticipating the feedback from the palestinian groups concerning what this quartet has allowed in our proposed resolution.
Matti Vanhanen
Prime Minister of Finland
President of The European Union
The Quartet meeting failed to present any sort of novel negotiation that has not been declared by Middle East nations and the Palestinians. The entire Pro-Palestinian quartet simply created a wish list of Israeli concessions that did not seem realistic. To the claims of some of the participants, “if we aim high, we’ll get a lot more than we expected.” We can thank Olmert for releasing the Pro-Palestinian vultures that will dismember our nation with the help of a fuming America.
Muhammad Mussadaq Hussain
Ha’aretz
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(Mustafa Zia/ IRanian President, Mahmood Ahmadinijad)
There was no point in being at this meeting here, the only people talking were the Palestinians, the Americans and the Israelis. I was very disappointed at my Muslim brothers in Palestine to forget about their suffering brothers and sisters in Iran and be so selfish only caring about their self-interest and talking to these infidels who destroyed their Muslims brothers and sisters houses and took so many of their lives. And for them to forgot about the Iran who helped Palestinians when they needed us the most, Iran that gave them financial and economic help to feed their starving children. How could they forget us, May Allah have mercy on our Ummah of Muslims and guide them to the rightful way of Islam, instead of getting tricked by these infidels. Fortunately I still have some people who are stilling following the right path, and thanks to them I can sleep with a little peace knowing that someone is there to support his Muslim brothers in time of need.
May Allah bring justice upon these infidels who are trying to wage war against Islam, and May Allah protect all of our Mujahideen wherever they are. AMEEN!!
The Arabs were very demanding of the the Security council. THey seemed to desire to take this time to break the hold of Arab pride in Israels hands, to humiliate Israel once and for all.
Many of the Palestinians proposals were very outrageous, 100 Billion dollars for the reconstruction and foundation of a new economy. HOw do we knowif the Palestinians will not use this money to attack Israel? Some terms were very acceptable, however at this time it is unwise to disclose what is acceptable in the eyes of the global community.
ANdre Wilson
Secretary General of NATO
The mishap in Israel only helps our cause. Soon, Israel will begin to operate with a significantly reduced level of support both finanically and militarily. Because the Muslim Brotherhood holds its primary goal is the eradication of Israel, any sign of this country weakening incites us.
Other pro-palestinian groups have now begun to propose a two-state solution. While this is a step in the right direction, we are not satisfied because Israel will remain and serve as an everyday reminder that Jews continue to occupy our land. My peers from Hamas and Islamic Jihad are correct in their remarks - The Muslim Brotherhood will not stand with this decision and will continue to fight in the name of Allah for our homeland.
The meeting with the quartet proved only one thing. Negotiation must forever be out of the question when dealing with this "situation". The Arab and Muslim governments have negotiated for far too long with the Zionists and their benefactors. Now is the time for our people to come together and drive the Israelis to the sea.
I am proud to say that our great and glorious friend Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood steadfastly by our side during this time. Our brothers in Syria must strive to live up to his example as a leader of oppressed Muslims the world over. For as long as the Golan Heights is Israeli land, and as long as Jerusalem is under Zionist occupation, we will continue to fight. For all those nations who refuse to stand by us, you are imposters and deserve the wrath of God.
Joseph DeAngelis
Representative of Hezbollah.
Islamic Jihad
"The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed..."
-Holy Quran, Surah 5, Verse 33
I wholeheartedly agree with the Hezbollah representative; negotiations and diplomacy have failed in the past and will not accomplish anything. Jihad is the way, and I encourage all Muslims to join in the fight against the Zionists. I ask the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, for assistance in the name of Allah.
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