This report presents the reflections and conclusions of the experts who participated in the Seminar "Religion: dimension absentfrom diplomacy and politics in the Middle East", organised by the CEMOFPSC on 1sr and 2nd April 2008 at the Madrid Business School (Instituto de Empresa de Madrid).
I was excited to find out that FPSC had also started a research center. Too often, governments appear to do only what is needed to sustain the status quo. They seem unable or unwilling to invest the time to develop policies that could bring more just and lasting results. That changes when officials have better information and options, and that is where research centers like the Foundations Center for Middle Eastern Studies play a role. They are vital conduits linking dedicated policymakers with good ideas.
-The solution to the Jerusalem problem should be based on President Clinton's parameters (2000) and on the details offered by the Geneva Initiative (2003) and its annex published last year. - Meaning: the Jewish neighborhoods will be part of Israel, the Arab Neighborhoods will be part of Palestine, and so will be the various quarters of the Old City, except for the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall, which will be part of Israel. - A multinational group in the Old City will handle disputes and security tensions between the two parties, while a council which will be comprised of representatives of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions, will act as a counseling body to the parties and will promote inter-religious dialogue and understanding in the city. - Jerusalem is holy to the religious faithful but is not owned by them. It has cultural and symbolic importance to many non religious people, and therefore the idea of putting Jerusalem's sovereignty under God, is irrelevant.
The proximity talks that entered its first round last week between the United States, the Palestinians and Israel respectively, are heavily influenced by the internal and external political dynamics of each of the direct stakeholders of the conflict: Palestinians and Israelis on the one hand and the Unites States, the European Union and the Arab States on the other.
The Arab democratic revolution, if that is what it proves to be, is spreading. The experiences of protest and change in Tunisia and Egypt, Bahrain and Morocco, Libya and Yemen may vary substantially, as most probably will their political outcomes; yet they also seem to be components of a great collective shift, which will have reverberations far beyond the region.
How will the tide of ideas turn in the Arab world after the fall of Saddam Hussein? It is assumed Iraq will become a beacon of democracy in the region and set an example for all.
What does Jerusalem have that other cities lack? Where is the secret ingredient of this city? How come humanity has been fighting for this place for over three thousand years? When exactly it all started? And finally, Why Jerusalem?
I was excited to later find out that the Foundation also started a research center. Too often, governments appear to do only what is needed to sustain the status quo. They seem unable or unwilling to invest the time to develop policies that could bring more just and lasting results. That changes when officials have better information and options, and that is where research centers like the Foundation's Center for Middle Eastern Studies play a role.