Annapolis Summit Offers Hope, Challenges for Mid East Peace

The International Crisis Group, an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that works to resolve and prevent violent conflict around the world, has published a new report on the Middle East peace process. The report, titled "The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Annapolis and After," was published November 20 and is available for download on the Crisis Group's web site.

According to the Crisis Group, parties working to jump start the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians will have to develop new strategies toward a conflict that has made virtually no progress toward resolution. The upcoming summit at Annapolis, Maryland is designed to bring the conflicting parties together in an effort to foster dialogue.

The new report from the Crisis Group examines the problems with the Annapolis summit and the possibilities for change that the summit could produce. The report says that the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush at least seems to be eager to get the peace process moving, and that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas both need the summit to produce some tangible benefits. However, the Crisis Group notes, the summit is taking place in an atmosphere of increased conflict within the Palestinian community and significant political weakness in Israel for Prime Minister Olmert's government. These factors, the report says, will make progress much more difficult to achieve as factions from both sides will be difficult to satisfy.

Robert Blecher, an Israeli-Palestinian analyst for the Crisis Group, says, "The fact that the parties have been unable to settle even on a broad statement of principles in advance of Annapolis is a good indicator of the political difficulties they will face."