Palestine Papers: Al Jazeera, Guardian Release Documents On Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
First Posted: 01/23/11 03:00 PM Updated: 01/23/11 03:30 PM
Read More: Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera Palestine Papers, Guardian, Israel, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Palestine Papers, World News
Today, Al Jazeera and the Guardian released the first of more than 1,600 documents related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The document dump comes just hours after The Associated Press reported that Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is drafting plans for a provisional Palestine. Palestinian leaders have rejected the notion as a "publicity stunt."
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Today 10:37 PM More Documents Coming Monday
Al Jazeera English correspondent Alan Fisher tweets that the next installment of the Palestine Papers will be released Monday at 3pm EST.
Today 10:31 PM Why Are The Papers In English?
Nearly all of the 1,684 documents are in English, not in Hebrew or Arabic. Al Jazeera explains that when Palestinian and Israel delegations meet, almost all of their communication is in English (excepting side conversations among delegates).
The group also explains that the PDF documents are dated 2011 because the originals were copied by Al Jazeera to "protect the integrity of The Palestine Papers." It does not indicate that the original document was actually created this year.
Today 10:28 PM The Significance
The Guardian's Jonathan Freedland explains the significance of the Palestine Papers.
On the Israeli side, the papers show the level of Israeli intransigence: "There are no exposés of hypocrisy or double talk; on the contrary, the Israelis' statements inside the negotiating room echo what they have consistently said outside it."
On the Palestinian side, however, the papers reveal the deep concessions Palestinian negotiators were willing to make on issues from control of Jerusalem to the right of return for Palestinian refugees, in order to achieve peace.
These revelations, Freedland writes, "blow apart what has been a staple of Israeli public diplomacy: the claim that there is no Palestinian partner. That theme, a refrain of Israeli spokesmen on and off for years, is undone by transcripts which show that there is not only a Palestinian partner but one more accommodating than will surely ever appear again."
Today 10:18 PM Where Did The Palestine Papers Come From?
According to The Guardian, the Palestine Papers were "drawn up by PA officials and lawyers working for the British-funded PLO negotiations support unit ... Israeli officials also kept their own records of the talks, which may differ from the confidential Palestinian accounts." They add that, "the documents were leaked over a period of months from several sources to al-Jazeera."
Al Jazeera isn't elaborating any further: "Because of the sensitive nature of these documents, Al Jazeera will not reveal the source(s) or detail how they came into our possession. We have taken great care over an extended period of time to assure ourselves of their authenticity."
While the release of these documents might be tempting to compare with WikiLeaks, there was no indication on Sunday that the organization founded by Julian Assange has any connection to this latest trove. As of this posting, no mention of the Palestine Papers has been made on the group's website, nor is WikiLeaks mentioned by Al Jazeera. The Guardian only says that their own coverage "is supplemented by WikiLeaks cables, emanating from the US consulate in Jerusalem and embassy in Tel Aviv."
Today 10:02 PM Weakness, Desperation & Contempt
The Guardian writes:
The overwhelming impression that emerges from the confidential records of a decade of Middle East peace talks is of the weakness and desperation of Palestinian leaders, the unyielding correctness of Israeli negotiators and the often contemptuous attitude towards the Palestinian side shown by US politicians and officials.
"What good am I if I'm the joke of my wife, if I'm so weak?" senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat complained to George Mitchell, Obama's Middle East envoy, in 2009. "Nineteen years of promises and you haven't made up your minds what you want to do with us," he said.
Today 9:24 PM The 'Slow Death Of The Middle East Peace Process'
The Guardian reports that the papers unveil "the slow death of the Middle East peace process".
One of the biggest revelations is that Palestinian negotiators secretly agreed to allow Israel to annex all but one of the settlements in East Jerusalem -- "the biggest Jerusalem in history" -- an offer the Israelis spurned.
According to Al Jazeera, other revelations include:
- the Palestinian Authority’s willingness to concede illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, and to be “creative” about the status of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount;- the compromises the Palestinian Authority was prepared to make on refugees and the right of return;- details of the PA’s security cooperation with Israel;- and private exchanges between Palestinian and American negotiators in late 2009, when the Goldstone Report was being discussed at the United Nations.
Today 9:07 PM The Guardian's site
The Guardian is also releasing the Palestine Papers, in partnership with Al Jazeera.
Today 8:59 PM The Palestine Papers
Al Jazeera has released a trove of documents relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which they have dubbed, The Palestine Papers.
The news organization writes:
Over the last several months, Al Jazeera has been given unhindered access to the largest-ever leak of confidential documents related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are nearly 1,700 files, thousands of pages of diplomatic correspondence detailing the inner workings of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. These documents – memos, e-mails, maps, minutes from private meetings, accounts of high level exchanges, strategy papers and even power point presentations – date from 1999 to 2010.
