Please post your final blogs here. I am extending the deadline until Dec 7th.

Simulation – II

12.45 -1:25

The new President of the U.S., President Barrack Obama, has pulled of a major diplomatic coup by signing a treat of mutual nonaggression and peaceful nuclear cooperation with Iran in Feb. 2009. He traveled to Iran immediately after his administration came to power and negotiated this deal. Iran in return for security guarantees and significant development assistance and economic aid has agreed to indefinitely discontinue its nuclear military program. It keeps the 7 bombs it has in its arsenal but agrees not to make anymore or develop the technology further. It also agrees to have a US oversight over their storage.

Buoyed by his success with Iran, President Obama calls for a special session of the General Assembly of the U.N. to pass a resolution declaring a Palestinian state.


General Assembly Meeting: The meeting is held in NY at the U.N. on March 21. 2009.

The meeting is opened by a statement by the SG of the UN and followed by a speech of President Obama calling for a Palestinian state.

These are followed by speeches one speech each from the Palestinian group, the Israeli group, and European nations and Russia. Please keep the speeches short.

An open discussion will follow and then the SG will propose the text of the resolution and the body will vote.

1.25-1.40

Press Conference: The members of the media will ask questions of the members of the GA at the UN. Each media outlet will be allowed 3 questions.

Guidelines for Posting

1. When you sign off, use both your real name and your role name/title.

2. Do not repeat what has already been posted by others.

3. Try to be both anylytical as well as reflective.

4. Do not exceed the required length.

The Media Reports

The media should file their reports/opinion columns/analysis here. Try not to exceed four paragraphs.

Give us some dirt!

C. Rice and other members of the U.S. team were spotted briefing President Bush. Rice looks agitated while Senator Biden looks a bit unhappy. What was going on.

Simulation: Quartet Meeting with Israel and its Allies

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?

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?

Simulation: Pro-Palestine 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. Also list the demands that the group came up with in order to preset to the quartet. Only one of the posting should have the list we do not want posting after posting listing the list.

Simulation: Pro-Israel 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. Also list the demands that the group came up with in order to present to the quartet.

Simulation: The Security Council Meeting

Please post your comments here. This posting is mandatory. In about a paragraph or two summarize the substance of the conference and the conclusion.

Hopes for peace as Hamas agrees to truce

Agreement with Israel could lead to release of captured soldier, a new Palestinian government and an end to Gaza incursions

Journalist from Jerusalem

If you have attended this event post your comments/reports here.

Some Interesting Developments

New PM in Palestine

Do you think the new PM and the unity government will restore the peace plan on track?

Interesting article in Haartez

"Thousands of Palestinian families spent their holidays far from their parents and children. According to data from the statistics department of the PA Ministry of Prisoners Affairs, last June about 10,100 Palestinian prisoners, including 335 minors and 104 women, were being held in Israeli incarceration facilities and prisons. Some 369 prisoners have been held for more than 12 years. In other words, they were imprisoned before the Oslo Accords and the establishment of the PA, and were not released after the Oslo Accords. Of these veteran prisoners, 45 have been held for more than 20 years, and seven of the 45 have been held for more than 25 years. Most of the prisoners - 55 percent - were never tried or convicted. They might actually be considered kidnapped. ... " Click to read the entire article.

Read this rather strange article --"Something Rotten in Israel". A friend more familiar with internal Israeli debates said that this conversation was growing: