Middle East Peace Conference

Diplomacy- The art or practice of conducting international relations. It requires skill and tact on the part of all those involved in order to be successful.

Through this role-play my hope is that you gain an understanding of some of the major issues that plague this region and the difficulty in achieving a workable compromise.

Your delegation will develop a proposal that addresses the issues of importance to your country or group. This problem and potential solution will involve the country or group you represent. Your proposal will be discussed and voted on.

The countries/groups included the conference - Working in groups of three you will represent either Israel, Syria, The Palestinian National Authority, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, al Queda, the Hizballah or Hamas. I will act as the moderator representing the United States

Each person within the group will have a different responsibility. Here are your options

A. Historical researcher-- You will provide the necessary background information on the country or group you represent and the issues that you face

B. Foreign Policy Analyst- You will research your country or groups relations or situations with others in the region

C. Diplomatic Consultant-- You, following the suggestions and input of your group members, will create a proposal to deal with the facing your group as well as other issues in the middle east

---- EACH group member will turn in a two page overview prior to the start of the conference

Resources

These sites are only a starting point. You will need to due research beyond what is listed below. I suggest using www.google.com

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/default.stm BBC News –The Lateness news from the Middle East. Also background information on each country in the Middle East.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/mideast/index.html CNN’s -Struggle for Peace in the Middle East. Many links containing history, timelines, etc.

http://www.mideastweb.org/hamas.htm Hamas Charter

http://www.mideastweb.org/history.htm Middle East history and resource links by journalists and others from the Middle East and the USA.

http://lonelyplanet.com/destinations/loc-mea.htm This site contains basic facts and a brief background of the current issues in the country. Click on the country you wish to know more about

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ - This site contains a great deal of the basic information about the countries involved

http://www.usaid.gov/wbg/- Contains information about the economic conditions & water resources in the West Bank & Gaza Strip.

http://www.badil.org/Refugees/Palestinian_Refugees.htm- The plight of the Palestinian refugees—Great comprehensive site

http://www.pna.gov.ps/- Official website of the Palestinian National Authority

http://www.mideastweb.org/osamabinladen1.htm - Background and objectives of Osama Bin Laden

http://english.aljazeera.net/HomePage- Homepage for Al jazeera--The Middle East version of CNN

Current Leaders in the Middle East

Israel- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon

Syria- President Bashar Assad

Iran- President Mohammed Khatami

Lebanon- President Emile Lahud

Palestinian National Authority- President Yassir Arafat

Saudi Arabia - King Faud

Iraq- TBA

Afghanistan transitional government - Hamid KARZAI

Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf

Egypt President Hosni Mubarak

The Process

The 1st Round –

During this time each country/group will present basic information (i.e. history of the country or group, religious groups, economic situation, date and purpose of origin etc.). You will also create a poster board that contains any necessary information. Your introduction should last about 3 minutes. This will be presented- NOT READ. Other groups will be given an opportunity to ask questions

The 2^nd Round-

During this round you will present the major issues your delegation wishes to address during this conference. Other delegations may challenge you and your information so you must be prepared

The 3^rd Round -

I MUST approve your typed up proposal prior to its presentation. Along with the approved version of your proposal there should be some basic information about your group or country. This information should help the rest of the participants in the conference better understand your proposal. Charts and pictures can be used to aid in your presentation to the other delegations.

You will duplicate enough proposals for each group and I will assign an order of debate. This will allow similar proposals to be debated together. Also, you will need to put the key points of your proposal on a poster board before we begin discussing it. After the groups examine and discuss your proposal, voting will then begin. While all countries and groups may make proposals, non-governmental are not allowed to vote (i.e Hamas, al Queda & the Hizbollah). Each member of your delegation must participate.

Point of Order- Israel will retain the right to veto any proposal of which they are included.

Learning Advice

My role as moderator (US) is to keep order at all times
I will determine whether you can speak and the order in which you can speak. You must raise your hand in order to be recognized.
I will determine whether there has been enough discussion on a topic, and at that time discussion will end and the voting will proceed.
If anyone is disruptive you will be barred from the conference & you grade will suffer
As with any peace conference, a large amount of dealing takes place before the actual conference. Look to see which groups you have something in common with and pursue a deal.

Possible topics for the conference

Israeli security
The creation of a Palestinian State
Water rights
Israeli occupation of Jerusalem
Israeli occupation of the West Bank
Economic aid or development for Palestinians and/or other countries which contain a large Palestinian population
Terrorist activity & Islamic fundamentalism
Return of the Israeli occupied Golan Heights territory
Palestinian refugees in the countries surrounding Israel
Lebanese sovereignty (removal of Syrian troops)
Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip
Countries suspected of supporting terrorist groups
The United States military presence in the Middle Eastern affairs
Nuclear weapons program in Iran
Kurdish independence
Stability of Afghanistan
Stability of Iraq

Conclusion

While you are being graded individually your partners will be counting on you for your best effort. Do not let them down!!!!
If a member of your group is not working diligently come see me. The non-participating member will be dismissed from the group and given a separate assignment.
You must be actively researching in the library. “I have the Internet at home” will not be an acceptable excuse.
Please keep this in mind-----You are NOT being graded on whether or not your proposal passes.....You ARE being graded on how well you understand and express in the written and verbal form the situations of your group

Grading Criteria--This is worth 105 points w/ each student being graded individually

¨ Research efforts-10 points

¨ Participation & Presentation-40 points

¨ Conduct & Cooperation-20 points

¨ Quality of written overview -35 points

Modified by Mr. Ellis ( Oct. 2004)

Conference Begins Nov. 3rd

http://birding.about.com/library/blclip-holwinter16.htm-- Source of peace dove clipart

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/conflict/images/israel_map.gif-- Source of disputed territory maps