Aid, Diplomacy, And Facts On The Ground: The Case of Palestine

This volume reviews the lessons that can be drawn from external funding for the Israeli-Palestinian peace and reconstruction process over the last decade. What are the implications —for Palestinians, Israelis, and international actors —of this experience in light of plans for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip? What are the realistic possibilities for a viable Palestinian state? What are the responsibilities, opportunities, and constraints for external actors? A major aspect of the last decade has been the three-way relationship between aid, diplomacy, and "facts on the ground" during one of the most difficult and frustrating periods in the history of the Middle East. This book offers analyses of the relationship between aid and diplomacy over this period and in particular the role that external assistance has played — and could now play —in supporting peace strategies. Aimed at senior policymakers, diplomats, donors, and academics involved in the peace and reconstruction process in the West Bank and Gaza, Aid, Diplomacy, and Facts on the Ground will also provide lessons for those involved in similar processes in other regions. Contributors include Yossi Alpher (Bitter Lemons), Geoffrey Aronson (Foundation for Middle East Peace), Christian Berger (External Relations Directorate General, EC), Rex Brynen (McGill University), Claude Bruderlein (Harvard University), Larry Garber (former USAID Mission Director, Jerusalem), Eyad El Sarraj (Gaza Community and Mental Health Hospital), Jeff Halper (Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions), Mustaq Khan (SOAS), Karma Nabulsi (Nuffield College, Oxford University), Harish Parvathaneni (UNRWA, Gaza), Nigel Roberts (World Bank, Jerusalem), Sarah Roy (Harvard University), Nader Said (Birzeit University), David Shearer (OCHA, Jerusalem), and Jimmy Weinblatt (Ben Gurion University).