Class 18: The Intifada, the Transformation of the PLO, and the Gulf Crisis: Pressures for Peace

Frontline "Shattered Dreams of Peace" 2 hours of video about the breakdown of the Oslo peace process 2000-2002 you may see in the Batts 232 Liberal Arts computer lab.

and a neat web site at http://www.newsbatch.com/ that is still useful to review though not updated since 2005. You might also look at this very useful site, the Foundation for Middle East Peace (also accessible from MENA-politics NGOs)

...and now back to where we left off on Monday, the American "strategic redeployment" from Beirut in Jan. 1984....

Reagan, Israel and Political Stalemate 1982-88

• Alexander Hague and George Shultz 
• Reagan's peace plan
• The Fez Arab League Plan
• Israeli politics: from Menachem Begin to Yitzhak Shamir to Shimon Peres and the Peres/Shamir government (1984-86-88)
• Jordan-PLO 1984-85 attempted negotiations
• October 1985 bombing of Tunis PLO headquarters (video), then Achille Lauro hijacking (murder of Klinghoffer), and end of any negotiations

The Intifada 1987-1993 (video)

•  from a truck crash in December 1987...
• to Defense minister Rabin's "iron fist" and broken bones
• war of attrition and international publicity
• switch of PLO to a West Bank/Gaza constituency
• June 1988 Algiers summit, Jordan cutting ties with West Bank, and Palestinian Declaration of Independence (Algiers - November 1988)

The US recognition of the PLO - 1988-89

•  Shultz Plan 1988
• Election of George Bush (Nov 1988) and US response to Arafat...and Arafat's response leading to recognition of PLO by USA (since PLO met the conditions of the 1975 US-Israeli understanding)
• Shamir autonomy plan, more stalemate, Gaza repression, and Palestinian "rogue" terrorism...and suspensionof US-PLO dialogue (May-June 1990)

The Bush-Baker Peace Process: Madrid and beyond

• Background: the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (Aug 2, 1990)
• Jerusalem: the Haram al-Sharif massacre and Security Council resolution (October 1990) - the US dilemma support for Israel vs. maintaining the coalition against Iraq
• "6+2" Damascus Declaration March 1991
• push to Madrid - see Israeli-Syrian encounter video (PBS 50 yrs)
• Israeli elections of June 1992: Rabin's Labor victory
• the Oslo alternative to Washington bilateral talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians

The Clinton Administration: the contradictions of "benign" neglect of the peace process while pushing "dual containment" in the Gulf

• assassination of Rabin by a rightwing Jewish fanatic - November 1995
• election of Benjamin ("Bibi") Netanyahu - May 1996
• Failure of the 4th MENA Economic Summit in Doha, Qatar, November 1997
• Failure of Camp David II, July 2000
• El Aqsa Intifada, October 2000-