Seizing on the Saudi Initiative
The flurry of activity surrounding the reintroduction of the Saudi initiative at the Arab League Summit in Riyadh in late March is entirely different from the atmosphere when it was originally adopted by the Arab states during their Beirut meeting five years ago.
The convergence of ominous developments in the Middle East in the wake of the Iraq war, especially the looming regional conflict between Shiites and Sunnis along with Iran's ambition to become, armed with nuclear weapons, the region's main power has precipitated rapid and extraordinary realignments.
Israel is now seen not only as the lesser evil but as a possible strategic partner in deterring Iran. In addition, because Syria is essential to any unification of the various Sunni groups, ending the Arab-Israeli conflict has assumed new urgency.
It is in the context of these developments, that the Saudi initiative has become so critical. The initiative calls on Israel to agree to full withdrawal from the occupied territories; to arrive at a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem, based on U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194; and to accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as the capital.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Seizing on the Saudi Initiative
Thursday, March 22, 2007
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