Diplomat

As the diplomat, you are responsible for researching the leaders, governments, policies, and other political aspects of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Politics, as you will see, are closely related with many other factors, and you may need to work closely with other specialists in your group to establish answers to these and other questions.

Tasks:

1. To get started, please use the following questions as guides. Use the Diplomat Summary Sheet to help you organize what you are learning. Feel free to develop and research your own questions as well.

• Who are the key leaders in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict? Consider all sides: Israel, Palestine, the U.S., Europe, the U.N., etc.

• What are the major issues in the struggle for peace? Work with Historian and Ethnologist.

• How is the Israeli government organized?

• How is the Palestinian National Authority organized?

• What governmental policies are important aspects of the peace process?

• Describe past and current attempts of achieving peace. What peace documents have been signed and what did they do or intend to do? Work with Historian.

2. After answering the above questions and any questions you came up with on your own, develop a list of specific objectives from the diplomat perspective that will promote peace between Israeli and Palestine. Keep in mind that other members of your team will also be developing their own lists of objectives, and together, you will develop a plan for peace. Be ready to identify where your objectives are both similar and dissimilar.

Human Resources:

Your School Librarian:

Discuss your task with your librarian. Have him/her help you in finding paper resources in the library (newspaper articles, etc.)

Interview an Expert:

Interview a Middle East professor at a college or university near you. Get his/her historical perspective.

Online Resources:

Evaluate the web sites you visit for applicability, bias, and usability with Kathy Schrock's Evaluation Tool.

CNN.com In-Depth Specials - Mideast: Land of conflict

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/mideast/

Provides a general overview of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

Middle East Index

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/mideast_index.html

Provides an overview of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, current events, and multimedia content on various aspects of the conflict.

Elements of a Performance Based Roadmap

http://www.un.org/media/main/roadmap122002.html

Describes a U.N. peace plan developed by the U.S., U.N., Russian Federation, and the E.U.

The Roadmap to Peace

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/mideast/

Describes the U.S. involvement in the conflict.

Europa - European Union : External Relations & Foreign policies : hot topics

http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/news/topic.htm#me

Provides information on the European Union’s involvement in the conflict.

Palestine Fact Sheet

http://www.palestinemonitor.org/factsheet/factsheet.html

Facts related to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian perspective.

Palestinian National Authority: Peace Process

http://www.pna.gov.ps/Peace_Process/index.asp

Outlines the peace process from the perspective of the Palestinian National Authority.

Palestine, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Primer

http://www.merip.org/palestine-israel_primer/toc-pal-isr-primer.html

Provides a general overview of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions: Palestinian Violence and Terrorism; The International War against Terrorism

http://www.israel.org/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0i9o0#peace

This site provides answers to questions on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from the perspective of the Israeli government.