Israel/Palestine Negotiations: Lessons f

Pre-req: Registration is limited to students who attended the first session. The two-state solution has been the diplomatic consensus and the overarching framework for all peace negotiations regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including in the Oslo Accords (1993-1999) and during negotiations between Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat (Camp David, 1999-2001), between Prime Minister Olmert and Chairman Abbas (2007-2009), and between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Abbas (2011-2014), as well as for the “Trump Plan” (2020).

This workshop, led by an Israeli and a Palestinian who served as negotiators, will take its participants “into the negotiation room,” specifically focusing on the Camp David negotiations of 1999-2001. The workshop will assume a political “directive” to reach an agreement based on the principle of two nation-states for two peoples. It will explore the various implications of such a directive for negotiators and the agreement, with significant attention to the challenge of establishing a Palestinian state.

Note that the workshop will not address the overarching dilemmas regarding “one-state” vs. “two-state” or the reasons for failing to reach an agreement on permanent status thus far. However, it will address key issues such as refugees, Jerusalem, economics, and security in so far as they affect Palestinian statehood. Reading materials will be based on the accounts of senior negotiators and relevant legal texts of agreements, UN decisions, and proclamations by both sides.