Leaders of Israel and the Palestinians met in Annapolis, Maryland, at a conference designed to start peace talks between the two groups. The United States hosted the conference, and invited representatives of about 50 countries, including several countries in the Middle East. The conference was just the start of the peace talks. There, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to continue to meet throughout 2008. Their goal is to sign a treaty by the end of 2008 that would create a Palestinian state.
The two sides will have to agree on several key issues. First, they must decide what the borders of the new state will be. Experts believe the most likely region is the Gaza strip and much of the West Bank. Secondly, over three million Palestinians have been displaced in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The two sides will have to agree on where these refugees will settle. Another key issue in the conflict is the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem has a rich religious history, with holy sites for both the Jewish Israelis and the Muslim Palestinians. Both sides would like to be able to name the city as their capital.
Experts believe that it will be difficult for the two sides to overcome these obstacles and reach an agreement by the end of 2008. They feel that neither leader is strong enough politically to convince their people to follow a treaty. The two leaders had their first post-Annapolis meeting on December 12.
Related Links
- The Annapolis Peace Conference
Interactive site that covers the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as the current obstacles that stand in the way of peace.
(Source: The Guardian, November, 2007) - Analysis: After Annapolis
Summarizes the Annapolis conference and the decisions reached there, and explores the obstacles that Olmert and Abbas will have to overcome in order to reach a peaceful solution.
(Source: BBC, December 4, 2007) - Israel and Palestinians launch peace talks in discord
Discusses the tensions present in the first post-Annapolis peace talks between Olmert and Abbas.
(Source: Reuters, December 12, 2007) - Map of Israel
Map of Israel, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
(Source: PBS, 2005)
Critical Thinking Questions
- Summarize
What are the major issues that stand in the way of the peaceful creation of a Palestinian state? - Sequence Events
List five major events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that have occurred since Israel’s creation in 1948. - Analyze
What role does religion play in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?