|
|
 | CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
April 4, 1997 |
|---|
Questions asked
in this forum:
Can Arabs and Israelis share Jerusalem? What can President Clinton do? What effect has Hamas had on the peace process? Can Israeli policy be compared to Hitler's? What role does AIPAC play in U.S. support for Israel? Can the United Nations contribute to acheiving peace and security?
NewsHour Links
March 24, 1997:
Margaret Warner talks withShlomo Gur of the Israeli Embassy and Khalil Foutah of the PLO.
March 4, 1997:
Charles Krause talks with Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Arafat advisor.
February 13, 1997:
Charles Krause discusses Clinton and Netanyahu's meeting with Dore Gold, foreign policy aide to Netanyahu.
January 15, 1997:
Jim Lehrer leads a discussion of the Hebron deal.
December 18, 1996:
Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski debate a critical letter sent by eight former U.S. foreign policy chiefs to Israel. -
October 15, 1996:
Warren Christopher talks about the peace process.
October 2, 1996:
A NewsHour interview with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk.
October 1, 1996:
A NewHour look at the emergency White House Peace Summit between Netanyahu and Arafat.
May 31, 1996:
Israeli Election Forum : The NewsHour's Charles Krause answered questions on Netanyahu's victory.
May 23, 1996:
Seeing the Future : a look at the Israeli elections.
Browse the NewsHour's coverage of the Middle-East.
OUTSIDE LINKS
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Palestine's Home Page
The Jerusalem PostOn Sunday, March 30, foreign ministers from 22 Arab countries voted to suspend participation in the talks with Israel and to reactivate any economic boycotts that had been dropped since the 1993 Israeli-Palestinian accords. The recommendations came as a result of anger over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to begin construction of a Jewish housing settlement in east Jerusalem, the area Arabs see as their future capital.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat described recent Israeli actions to the ministers of the Arab League as "a declaration of war against an unarmed people." According to Arafat, Israel had agreed not to change the demographics of Jerusalem during peace talks.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said the Palestinians had been using "terrorism as a weapon of negotiations," and claimed a "virtual collapse of the peace process."
Hope for peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples appears to be at the lowest since the two sides established mutual recognition in 1993. Rock throwing, suicide bombing, and gunfire is reminiscent of the 1987-1993 intifada. Debate continues over whether Arafat gave a "green light" for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that killed three women two weeks ago and whether Netanyahu is dealing in good faith with Palestinian negotiators.
Our forum asks: What is the future of the Middle East Peace talks? Can they be resurrected, or is it too late for friendly relations? What are the possible outcomes? Should the United States be involved?
Your questions are answered by professor Amos Perlmutter, of the American University, and by Mohammed Hallaj. Dr. Perlmutter is a professor of political science and sociology at American University with specialties in Middle East politics, comparative politics, and the role of the military in politics.
Hallaj is a member of the Palestine National Council and was on one of the recent negotiating teams. He was the editor of Palestine Perspective, and was the vice president for academic affairs at Birzeit University on the West Bank. Until his retirement two years ago, he was the director of the Jerusalem Fund and the Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine.
Questions asked in this forum:
Can Arabs and Israelis share Jerusalem? What can President Clinton do? What effect has Hamas had on the peace process? Can Israeli policy be compared to Hitler's? What role does AIPAC play in U.S. support for Israel? Can the United Nations contribute to acheiving peace and security?
 |
   
|
|
| Support the kind of journalism done by the NewsHour...Become a member of your local PBS station. | ||
| ||
| PBS Online Privacy Policy Copyright ©1996- MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. All Rights Reserved. | ||
| ||
