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Map of Middle East |
CIAO DATE: 06/02
Winter 2002 (Volume XXXI, Number 2, Issue 122)
The Impact of 11 September on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Camille Mansour
This article examines the impact of the 11 September 2001 events on the Israeli-Palestinian equation. It begins with a close analysis of the positions and strategies of the two sides on the eve of 11 September, with special emphasis on Israel's erosion of the externally imposed "red lines" and on what the author calls the PA's "overseer" approach. The second part of the article traces their trajectories since September, highlighting in particular the evolution of the American position that accompanied the mounting victories in Afghanistan and the possible repercussions in the Israeli-Palestinian arena.
Azmi Bishara, the Right of Resistance, and the Palestinian Ordeal by Richard Falk
The indictment of Knesset member Azmi Bishara for statements supporting Palestinian resistance activities directly raises the issue of whether the Palestinians enjoy a right of resistance under international law, given the character of Israeli occupation policies. The existence of such a right of resistance has not received much attention, especially the issue of whether the right extends to force and, if so, to what extent. This article affirms a limited such right and argues that its relevance to the Bishara case should lead to the dismissal of criminal charges.
The United Nation and Palestinian Refugee Property Compensation by Michael R. Fischbach
This study examines the United Nations' efforts to effect Palestinian refugee compensation through its lead agency for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict, the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine (UNCCP), from 1949 to 1966. It highlights the progressive shrinking of the UNCCP's role from overall conciliation to bringing about agreement on compensation to a tertiary status conducting technical studies. Examining in particular the ambitious twelve-year program for identifying and evaluating refugee property carried out by the UNCCP's Technical Office, the author details the vast land records used and generated by that office and publishes for the first time compensation estimates buried in the archives. In analyzing the reasons for UNCCP's ultimate failure in realizing its mission, the author highlights first and foremost the negative impact of the United States's undeclared but strict "red lines" for resolving the crisis.
The Christian Churches of Jerusalem in the Post-Oslo Period by Michael Dumper
This article surveys the main trends in the relations of Jerusalem's historic churches with Israel and the Palestinians since the 1967 occupation and especially since Oslo. It examines the shift from cooperation with the Israeli state in the early period to a closer identification with the Palestinian nationalist position under the impact of Israeli actions and other factors, including pressures from the laity and an increasingly "Palestinianized" higher clergy, and details the growing cooperation among the churches themselves. The article ends with an examination of the various options for a future church role, especially in the light of the churches' proposal for a "special statute" for Jerusalem, and concludes that a holy place's administrative regime under Palestinian sovereignty would be more likely to protect long-term Christian interests.
Mahmud Darwish's Allegorical Critique of Oslo by Sinan Antoon
The Palestinian poet Mahmud Darwish occupies a unique space in Arab culture and in the collective memory of Arabs as "the national poet of Palestine." This article provides a reading of one of Darwish's poems, "A Non-Linguistic Dispute with Imri' al-Qays," which was written after the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accord. The poem is read as an allegorical critique of Oslo and, at the same time, a retrospective contemplation of Darwish's own role in Palestinian politics, written in a style that displays Darwish's exceptional poetical skill and his masterly use of Arabo-Islamic history and mythology.
Book Review
Karsh and Karsh: Empires of the Sand. by Anthony B. Toth
Said: Reflection on Exile and Other Essays; Aruri and Shuraydi: Revising Culture; The End of the Peace Process. by Amr G. E. Sabet
Amery and Wolf: Water in the Middle East and Turning Water into Politics. by Jad Isaac
Jabra: In Search of Walid Masoud. by Samah Selim
Rouhana: Palestinian Citizens in an Ethnic Jewish State. by Mohammed Abu-Nimer
Hazony: The Jewish State. by Ilan Pappé
Milstein and Amit: The Rabin File. by Benny Morris
Talhami: Syria and the Palestinians. by Fayez Hammad
Younis: Liberation and Democratization. by Donald S. Will
Khalidi: The Muslim Jesus. by Thomas Michel, S.J