THE KEY ISSUES THAT WILL HAVE TO BE AGREED
| Two states | |
| What the Israelis want | What the Palestinians want |
| Israel envisages a two-state solution but emphasises the security aspects: its right to live ”within secure and recognised boundaries free from threats or acts of force”. | Palestinians also seek a two-state solution with a sovereign Palestinian state which is geographically and economically “viable”, alongside Israel. |
| Borders | |
| What the Israelis want | What the Palestinians want |
| Israel wants borders to be negotiated, though many experts say eventual peace deal will probably be based on the 1967 line, but with adjustments. | The Palestinians want borders based on Israel’s boundaries at outbreak of the 1967 war. |
| Settlements | |
| What the Israelis want | What the Palestinians want |
| Israel wants to retain some Jewish settlements on land occupied in 1967, which the international community regards as illegal. | The Palestinians want the settlements evacuated and are also concerned about the contiguity of a future Palestinian state because some settlements cut deep into the West Bank. A deal would probably allow some to remain.There has been talk of compensating the Palestinians with land elsewhere. |
| The status of Jerusalem | |
| What the Israelis want | What the Palestinians want |
| Israel wants the city as its:undivided”capital. Peace talks in 2000 focused on an Israeli plan for twp capitals, in which the Abu Diss suburb would remain “al-Quds”(the Arabic name for Jerusalem) | The Palestinians also want Jerusalem as their capital. Both sides recognise that the question of Jerusalem’s old city is especially complex because of religious sites which are holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims. |
| Refugees | |
| What the Israelis want | What the Palestinians want |
| Israel says large numbers of returning refugees would destroy Jewish character of its state. Possible solutions include compensations for refugees, resettlement in other countries (including future Palestinian state) and return of limited numbers to Israel. | The Palestinians assert the right of several million refugees to return to their former homes. The refugees are also likely to want some formal statement from Israel that they have suffered an injustice. |
Exercise 15
Read the text and answer the questions:
What are the two sides' goals?
What is at stake for the rest of the region?
Israel's main declared aim is to stop rocket fire from Gaza once and for all and restore quiet and safety for Israelis. Part of its Operation Protective Edge involved a ground operation to destroy Hamas tunnels, which have been used to launch attacks into Israel. Israel says it destroyed 32 but acknowledge some may have gone undetected.
Israel has also made it clear that it wants Gaza to be demilitarised.
Hamas' political leaders said they would only stop fighting when there is an end to the blockade of Gaza. The group's armed wing though went further, demanding an end to Israeli "aggression" in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza and the freeing of prisoners released in exchange for Gilad Shalit in 2011 but were recently re-arrested.
At stake is the legacy of the Obama administration, and its push for better ties with the Muslim world. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has long been seen as a driver of negative sentiment towards Israel in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world. But the talks are resuming against the backdrop of regional upheavals after the Arab Spring.
Exercise 16
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