European Foundation for Freedom (EFF)

Conference: The Peace Process in the Middle East Israel and the Arab World today

Hosted by:

Mr. Andreas Moelzer, MEP, Austrian Freedom Party, Member of Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) Dr. Fiorello Provera, MEP, Lega-Nord, Vice-Chairman Foreign Affairs Committee Mr. Philip Claeys, MEP, Vlaams Belang, ViceMember of Foreign Affairs Committee

with support from the FPOE-Bildungsinstitut, President Mag. Hilmar Kabas, Vienna and the European Foundation for Freedom (EFF)1, Mrs. Sharon Ellul-Bonici, Brussels

Lecturers: 1. Prof. Hillel Weiss, Bar-Ilan University, Chairman Neemanei Erets NGO - Judea and Samaria. 2. Mr. Gershon Mesika, Governor of Samaria 3. Mrs. Lia Shemtov, MK, Israel-Beitenu Party. 4. Mr. Majallie Wahbee, MK, Kadima Party (former Deputy Foreign Minister, Israeli politician of Drus origin) 5. Sheikh Aatef Krinawi, leader of major Bedouin Tribe Krinawi, Israel 6. Sheikh Farid Kader Al-Jaabri, Hebron, spiritual major leader of the Palestinians in of Hebron 7. Prof. Sari Nusseibeh, President Al-Quds University Jerusalem (former Minister, Palestinian Authority, Jerusalem Portfolio)

1 The EFF is one of the 12 Foundations on European level approved and financed by the European Parliament.

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Time and place: The Conference will take place on 15.5.2012 from 09:00 to 13.00, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Conventions-Hall: PHS 7C050. Each speaker will have 20 min. time for his lecture, which will be followed by a discussion. We recommend you traveling to Brussels on Monday 14th May as there will be a dinner invitation to get to know each other and to have sort of preliminary talk for the conference. The conference itself will be followed by a common lunch in the MEPrestaurant of the European Parliament. Flight and accommodation: The costs for flight (economy class) and accommodation (two nights) for the lecturers will be covered by the FPOE-Bildungsinstitut and the EFF. Contact details: I kindly request you to confirm your participation by mail or phone. Please get in contact with Mr. Dietmar Holzfeind to facilitate your booking of the flight and the hotel or if you have any further questions regarding the conference. He will also get in contact with you to fix the exact title of your speech. e-mail: dietmar.holzfeind@europarl.europa.eu Tel.: 0032 228 41492, Mobile: 0032 488 23 86 52 Background: The actual political constellation in the Middle-East is extremely volatile and unpredictable. Local, Regional and International major players are trapped in a classical Catch 22 situation, that tends to become, under the nuclear Iranian threat, nothing but a zero sum game. Israel: Led by the stable right wing coalition of Prime Minister Netanyahu, Likud, together with Foreign Minister Liebermann, Israel Beitenu, and Minister of Interior Yshai, Shas. Despite of a very successful performance of the economy, as well as an outstanding military modern built-up, Israel is internationally isolated. This applies foremost to its former key regional ally: Turkey, and non the less to

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Egypt, especially in respect to the certainty of its strategic peace treaty with Egypt. Moreover, Israel locked in a non-negotiations status with the Palestinian Authority, due to its preliminary demand to be recognized as a Jewish State. Due to that, Netanyahu Government finds itself in a rift with the Administration of US President Obama and at a low with the European Union. Palestinian Authority (PA): Led by its aging Chairman, Mahmud Abbas, who is unable, for the last six years, to forge a Palestinian national unity with the Hamas in Gaza. The Palestinian Administration of Abbas is dead- locked in a policy of non-negotiating with Israel, as long as the building process in the settlements of Judea and Samaria is not frozen. Abbas finds himself abandoned by its key regional ally: Egypt, after the President Mubarak has been toppled last year, and succeeded by the Moslem Brotherhood, which regards the Hamas as most favorite Palestinian partner. The attempt of Abbas last year to abandon the direct negotiations with Israel, and approach unilaterally the UN Security- Council in order to obtain international recognition as a state failed. Subsequently, the international isolation of the PA has only increased. Jordan: As the surrounding Arab Spring winds are gusting, the Hasamite Kingdom of Jordan is exposed to major strains from its Palestinian population, which composes more than 80% of the total population. The young King Abdulla is trapped in a conflict of maintaining, by one hand, its strategic peace agreement with Israel; and solidarizing, by the other hand, with the Palestinian Authority in order to channel the frustration of his own Palestinian population fin respect to democratic demands. Nevertheless, once the Palestinian population of Jordan will obtain its full political rights it will form the absolute parliamentarian majority in Jordan. In such a situation Jordan might become the facto Palestine, a development that would trivialize the strive of the PA for a state in Judea and Samaria. Besides all the above mentioned, the peace perspectives between Israel and the PA turn even grimmer, if the conflicting interests of other regional major players, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran are being taken into consideration.

European Foundation for Freedom (EFF)

The total broad Middle East picture turns even more problematical if the conflicting interests of the Super Powers in the Middle East, i.e., Russia and China versus USA and EU is taken into consideration. Main Objectives of the Conference: 1. To examine the actual obstacles in respect to the stalled negotiations between Israel and the PA.
2. To analyze the International laws aspects concerning the Israeli

Palestinian conflict.
3. To consider the re-initiations perspectives and actual relevance

perspectives of the Saudi peace initiative from 2002 regarding the Israeli Palestinian conflict. 4. To analyze the viability of an Israeli Palestinian peace accord from the theological Islamic aspect.