Reports
Improving Arab-Israeli Higher Education
Promoting Minority Educational Opportunities and Excellence at the Technion Part 1
Promoting Minority Educational Opportunities and Excellence at the Technion Part 2
A report Technion University has set forward a plan to engage Arab’s in their university programs, and increase general enrollment.
BDS-Related Reports
Legal aspects of anti-Israel boycotts
A report from Tel Aviv’s Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry that offers a country-by-country summary and analysis of the legal implications of boycott efforts. The report covers Britain, Europe, North America, and the United States.
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) and Antisemitism
Part of a pamphlet series put forward by the Academic Engagement Network, an organization that champions academic freedom on American campuses, opposes the BDS movement, encourages a sophisticated discussion of topics relating to Israel and the Middle East, and combats antisemitism.
Two State Solution Reports
Ending Gaza’s Perpetual Crisis: A New U.S. Approach
Assessment of the 2014 Gaza Conflict
The conflict in Gaza in 2014 arose as a result of increased fire from Gaza into Israel, causing Israel to launch defensive action. This involved use of the famous Iron Dome system on Israel’s part. Even during the war, Israel kept up its humanitarian aid to Gaza, including providing electricity. Hamas, in turn, showed its lack of concern for the citizens, consistently putting them at risk. A ceasefire on August 26, 2014 brought the fighting to a standstill.
In order to maintain relative stability between Hamas and Israel, a Gaza seaport may be a good option for both Gazans and Israelis. An independent seaport in Gaza would give the Palestinians some autonomy, something that has long been requested by Gaza and the West Bank. It would be a win for Gaza, as it would elevate their status as a regional player, as well as boosting the economy of Gaza, which is notoriously horrid. Due to Israel’s long-term goal of a ceasefire with Gaza, a port is a possible security booster for the Israeli people, as well as a potential risk. The first talk of a Gaza port occurred during the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993 but was never actually created. The seaport could possibly be located in Egypt, but there has been opposition on the part of the Egyptians, and Israel has no need to upset one of the least hostile states in the region.
The Costs of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
This important report attempts an objective analysis of 5 alternative outcomes for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, treating them as mutually exclusive scenarios so as to be able to track their political and economic consequences long-term: the two-state solution, unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank (coordinated and uncoordinated), nonviolent resistance, and a violent uprising.
A Security System for a Two State Solution
This June 2016 66-page report from Washington DC’s Center for a New American Security does a great deal to advance technical/political recommendations that put flesh on the bones of the two-state solution. It aims to “add legitimacy and infuse confidence in some of the key concepts underpinning the two-state solution” and to do so regardless of immediate political support from the current Israeli government. It combines security proposals for a final status agreement with “significant early steps that signal a fundamental change on the ground to Palestinians.” In a number of areas it provides new public details of technical/political solutions to problems and challenges any practical two-state solution must confront: enhancing Israeli border security and overall security infrastructure, securing the Jordan valley, increasing Palestinian authority over area C on the West Bank, reducing barriers to movement and access around the West Bank, improving nonmilitarized Palestinian security forces, structuring authority over airspace above a Palestinian state, establishing port options for a Palestinian state while assuring Israel of maritime security, broadening Palestinian access to the electromagnetic spectrum while reinforcing its security.
A Plan to Improve Israel’s Security and International Standing
This June 2016 67-page report from Commanders for Israel’s Security (the first section of a 2-part report) combines a focus on security with civil-economic and political measures to offer practical solutions to problems and challenges that the two-state solution must confront. It gives structured solutions tailored to the specific needs of the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza and provides a series of 8 maps to help make it clear how those solutions would function on the ground. It combines longer-term solutions with measures to reduce friction between Israelis and Palestinians on the West Bank. The report endorses measures that have been advocated for some time by those promoting a two-state solution, like freezing the construction of new settlements east of the security fence, while substantially increasing economic opportunities for Palestinians in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank. The report is also designed to increase pressure on the Israeli government to disavow territorial ambitions for the West Bank. It warns that absent major changes, Gaza “will be unfit for human dwelling by 2020” and suggests how coordinated development plans for both Gaza and the West Bank can avoid rewarding Hamas and instead strengthen the Palestinian Authority.
Two States for Two Peoples — 20 YEARS AFTER OSLO II:
HOW TO RENEW THE PEACE PROCESS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIANS
This collection of recent essays from FATHOM, perhaps the lead journal that promotes the two-state solution by way of scholarly research, book reviews, podcasts, and interviews with leading figures engaged in front-line debates. The ebook offers the current views and ideas from an international group of experts committed to peace. It is a valuable resource both for the general reader and for classroom use.
The Two-State Solution: Old Standby, Perhaps, but Imperative
This document discusses the difficulty it will take to arrive at any solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, regardless of whether it is a two-state solution or a one-state solution.
As Trump era begins, what does Israel actually want in the West Bank?
Advancing Two-State Security
Advancing Two-State Security Part 1
Advancing Two-State Security Part 2
Advancing Two-State Security Part 3
Advancing Two-State Security Part 4
Advancing Two-State Security Part 5
Advancing Two-State Security Part 6
Advancing Two-State Security Part 7
Advancing Two-State Security Part 8
Advancing Two-State Security Part 9
A Future for Israeli-Palestinian Peacebuiliding
BICOM and Fathom have published a new research report, A Future for Israeli-Palestinian Peacebuilding. It has been written by Ned Lazarus, visiting Professor at George Washington University and before that the Middle East Program Director for Seeds of Peace from 1996-2004, with a preface by Jonathan Powell, the chief British negotiator during the Northern Ireland Peace Process. This comprehensive landmark study shows that grassroots Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding projects work are a vital missing ingredient in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and should receive much more support from the international community.
A Future for Israeli Palestinian Peacebuiliding Part 1
A Future for Israeli Palestinian Peacebuiliding Part 2
A Future for Israeli Palestinian Peacebuiliding Part 3
Issues Surrounding the Founding of the Jewish State
Fathom’s essay collection discussing the Balfour Declaration within the context of its 100-year anniversary.
BICOM Briefing: The 1947 UN Partition Plan
BICOM’s introduction to the Balfour Declaration and its consequences.