Mending the Middle East

MSU experts say conference likely to offer small steps, not giant leaps, in pursuit of end of Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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There’s only one thing MSU students and faculty say they can do after today’s Mideast peace conference: Wait. The conference, held in Annapolis, Md., isn’t as important as the weeks and months following it, said Bryan Stone, campus political coordinator for Spartans for Israel. “It has the potential to start actual meaningful negotiations between Israel and Palestine,” he said. “But it’s important they don’t block off the possibility for progress when they disagree on key points.”

The conference was called by President Bush to restart talks to resolve the six-decade conflict between Israel and Palestine, while meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Sixteen Arab nations and the Arab League are meeting with Israel for the first time in more than a decade, The Associated Press reported.

Stone said this has all been done before.

Former president Bill Clinton tried a similar effort when he met with representatives from Israel and Palestine in 2000, near the end of his term.

Waseam Azmeh, a first-year law student, 2006 MSU graduate and a former member of a now-defunct MSU student group that supported Palestinian rights, said he expects the conference to be an effective step for the countries involved if it is done in good faith.

Political pressures and the presence of Hamas need to be dealt with in order for the conference to make a difference, he said.

Hamas is an extreme Islamic political party.

Azmeh said the Israel-Palestine hostility derives from some key points of conflict: occupation of land, establishing clear boundaries, Palestinian economy and freedom of movement within their own territory.

In general, he said, Arabs support a separate Palestinian state, but there also are some who want Israel to take the entire area.

Inviting many of the countries who may be affected by the conflict, including Syria, is an enormously positive thing, he said.

Sherman Garnett, dean of James Madison College, said the real test is if the conference can get sustainable peace negotiations started.

“Clearly, what we need to do is strategically address this issue, along with everything else in the Middle East,” he said.

Determining whether a frame is politically viable among leading players is important, as well as overcoming internal division, he said.

Eric Dropkin, president of Spartans for Israel, said the conference is a way to begin creating stabilization in the Middle East, building coalitions and garnering more allies.

“Just sitting down at the table is a huge step. I don’t think anyone should be looking for this to solve all the issues,” he said.

“These first steps are monumental in itself.”

Kenneth Waltzer, professor and director of the Jewish Studies Program, said the conference could be seen as the beginning of more American involvement, as well the establishment of a moderate Arab coalition.

The presence of many foreign ministers displays an inclusion for many countries, but also shows hesitancy, Waltzer said.

“Everybody is dipping their toe in the water, but nobody wants to get very wet,” he said.

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