Israel-JCC 1
!
Israel-JCC 3
LETTER FROM THE DAIS Dear Delegates, Dear Delegates,
Hello everyone! My name is Wendy and I, along with Emily, am your senior staffer We could not be more excited for YMUN. Really. We have been dreaming about this committee for YMUN 39’s Commission on the Status of Women. Currently, I’m a sophomore at Yale, the past year or so, and have had countless meetings and back-and-forth emailings in order to make majoring inpossible Psychology with afor Neuroscience track with plansbecause to go toour graduate school. this the best experience you. We are especially excited committee will be run in a joint cabinet crisis format, which not only brings the excitement of non-conventional Model
Outside of thecrisis, classroom YMUN, I aminteraction also part of Mock Trial a mentor in U.N. through but alsoand permits a greater andYale’s understanding of team, the nuances of the WYSE and Youth Supporting Each Other), a mentoring group for middle conflict (Women at hand through the constant battling between cabinets. We are honored andlocal thrilled to be school girls, and I am running a non-profit, Codi’s Hats. chairing the Israeli cabinet, and look forward to all the resolutions and discussions we will when YMUN comes. Until then, feel free to email us at jessica.leao@yale.edu and
With the ever-evolving policies on and reproductive health rights and women’s rights, I’m exmiguel.goncalves@yale.edu with any all questions you may have. cited to see the different stances and cultural clashes that the topics may bring out. I look forward seeing how you all respond in the committee. See you soon! See you atto YMUN, Jéssica Leão and Miguel Goncalves.
- Wendy Cai, Yale ‘15
Hi guys! I’misEmily, and I will also beCollege working of the directors for CSW. A NorthJéssica Leão a sophomore in Calhoun andasisone a prospective Global Affairs major in the ern California native, I’m currently a sophomore at Yale in Branford College, majoring in international security track. She is an international student from Salvador, Brazil. When she’s not Economics with ainpossible East Asian After ordering graduation, I hope buried somewhere the deepdouble realms major of Bassin Library, JéssicaStudies. can be found soy chai lattes at to livecoffee and shops, work in Chinaaround for several before pursuing a graduate degree, possibly local walking Yale’syears art galleries, watching bad TV shows, and running to in East business orAtlaw. Rock Park. Yale she is a member of the competitive Model UN traveling team (MUNTY), in Yale’s D.C. think tank American Leadership Institute (AEI) executive council, a Calhoun Buttery
When to Alpha classesTheta or preparing for YMUN, I also as a mentor in ReadySetworker,not andgoing a Kappa sorority sister. She really likesserve unicorns. Launch, an organization providing college counseling services to low-income students, participate in Danceworks, a dance group at College, Yale, and I serve on the alumni fundraising Miguel Goncalves is a sophomore in Ezra Stiles and currently intends to major in either Physics, or Political Science. first-generation immigrant, board forEconomics, my high school. I also enjoyAcooking, baking,Venezuelan and playing softball.he has grown up in what he remembers as "a melting pot of European, Hispanic, and American influences." His range musicthoughts and literature to war history and quantum In 2011, Miguel Iinterests can’t wait to from hear your on the topics we have preparedmechanics. for committee this year. founded and spearheaded YELL (Youthtopic Empowerment and Leadership Organization, Women’s rights remain athe hotly debated globally, and I know youLearning) all are going to a nonprofit, student-driven leadership and public to service that continuesPlease to bridge thehesgap come up with informed, innovative solutions theseinitiative pressing problems. don’t between socioeconomically disadvantaged and community leaders in Central Florida. At Yale, itate to email either Wendy or me with teens any questions or concerns. apart from being involved with Yale International Relations Associations with YRIS (Yale Review of Study), SCSY (Security Council Simulation at Yale), and of course YMUN (Yale -International Emily Harris, Yale ‘15 Model United Nations), Miguel is Director of Internal Affairs at the Yale Leadership Institute, an avidthe bassoon All best, player for the Yale Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band, co-president of the Venezuelan Association, and guest columnist for several on-campus publications. Wendy CaiStudents' (wendy.cai@yale.edu)
Emily Harris (emily.harris@yale.edu)
!
TABLE OF CONTENTS Structure of the Committee Structure of the JCC History and Present Circumstances Beginnings Expansion of Conflict An Untenable Peace? The Conflict Today What the Israeli Cabinet Will Address Committee Positions Suggestions for Further Research
!
5 6 7 7 8 9 11 12 20
Israel-JCC 5
Structure of the Security Council
!
The Security Council is formed by 5 permanent members (United States, Russian Federation, People’s Republic of China, France, and the United Kingdom) and 10 rotating members elected for 2-year terms by the U.N. General Assembly. Currently, the 10 members are Argentina, Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Luxembourg, Morocco, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, and Togo. Under the United Nations Charter, the functions and powers of the Security Council are: • to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and purposes of the United Nations; • to investigate any dispute or situation which mightlead to international friction; • to recommend methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms of settlement; • to formulate plans for the establishment of a system to regulate armaments; • to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression and to recommend what action should be taken; • to call on Members to apply economic sanctions and other measures not involving the use of force to prevent or stop aggression; • to take military action against an aggressor; • to recommend the admission of new Members; to exercise the trusteeship functions of the United Nations in "strategic areas"; • to recommend to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-General and, together with the Assembly, to elect the Judges of the International Court of Justice. Information gathered from official Security Council website (http://www.un.org/):
!
Structure of the JCC
!
Our committee will work around the history and the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but delegates should keep in mind that it is inherent to the nature of JCC’s that unexpected developments occur. Do not rely on traditional historical solutions for the crisis. The JCC will be very fast-paced, with new crises occurring throughout committee sessions. Delegates should respond to those quickly and creatively, and should keep in mind that the other cabinet will also be shaping the course of history. Resolutions depend on interactions not only with the crisis room, but also with fast response to situations created by the opposing committee. Parliamentary procedure will be enforced, but delegates should not rely on regular resolution writing. Instead, directives (short, concise plans of attack and/or defense, questions, and any other creative situations) should be sent to the crisis room in response or in anticipation of diverse crisis situations.
!
Israel-JCC 7
History and Present Circumstances! Beginnings The Zionist movement was founded in the 1880s as a response to the increasing persecution of European Jews and the desire to join the existing community of European nation-states. For decades, thousands of Jews immigrated to Palestine, then a part of the Ottoman Empire. Yet war and conflict were all but nonexistent--Jews and their Arab counterparts native to the region coexisted without great difficulty well into the start of the twentieth century. The time period around World War I drastically altered the dynamic of Arab-Israeli relations. In November of 1917, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration and called for “the establishment in Palestine of a National Home for the Jewish people.” Seen as a Zionist triumph, the Declaration proclaimed a universal right to a Jewish homeland--a correction to centuries of injustices and crimes at the Jews' expense. Great Britain's resulting victory in the War, which granted it control of Palestine and the ability to implement Zionist policies catalyzed tension between Jews and Arabs who opposed their presence for decades. The end of World War II in 1945 resulted in the creation of the United Nations, a new setting for dealing with broad transnational problems. In November of 1947, the UN General Assembly recommended the partition of British-mandate Palestine into two separate states, one for Jews and one for Arabs. Fighting broke out immediately afterward, as Palestinian Arab states jointly rejected the partition plan's implied Zionist influence. In May of 1948, Zionist leaders proclaimed the state of Israel with significant Western backing. The resulting military conflict between Israel and its hostile Arab neighbors became known as
!
Milhemet Haatzma’ut, the "War of Independence.” With superior military tactics, the Israel Defence Forces secured large tracts of additional land from Israel's attackers. Following the conflict, Jordan established control over the West Bank and Egypt over the Gaza Strip, while Jerusalem was split between Israel in the west and Jordan in the east. Expansion of Conflict The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a religious and political covenant advocating for the eradication of Israel, was founded in May of 1964. Three years later, tensions with Arab states reached a boiling point once more: in what Israelis call the “Six Day War,” Israel conducted a preemptive strike against Egyptian military targets, strategically defeated its other neighbors Syria and Jordan, and gained further territorial control in Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Geographically, Israel tripled its original size, winning the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. In response to the war, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 242, which called for the “withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict; termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.” This resolution is the basis for all subsequent negotiations between Israel, Palestinians, and surrounding Arab states. Conditions deteriorated again in the fall of 1973, when Egypt and Syria organized a surprise attack on the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights
during the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur. The war lasted for 3 weeks, ending on October 22 on the Syrian front and October 26 on the Egyptian front. After successful counterattacks, Israel maintained possession of the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights. The UN Security Council, once again in response to regional conflict, subsequently passed Resolution 338, which called for an immediate cease-fire and negotiations to establish a “just and durable peace in the Middle East.” The period from 1978 to 1981 saw marked improvements in bilateral relations between Israel and the Arab world. After multiple rounds of talks, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel, and President Jimmy Carter of the United States sign what became known as the Camp David accords. Israel agreed to hand back the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in return for peace and official recognition, marking the first time Israel had ever been recognized by one of its neighbors. Sadat’s peace agreement, however, resulted in backlashes: Egypt was expelled from the Arab League, and its continued diplomatic relations with Israel led to the assassination of Sadat himself on October 6, 1981, by 3 soldiers of the Egyptian Army. An Untenable Peace? The First Palestinian Intifada (“uprising”) began six years later to protest the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinian
!
populations sustained protests, terrorist attacks, riots, and assassinations for another six years, killing or injuring over twenty thousand people by 1993. It is widely believed that the first Intifada was instrumental in changing Israeli public opinion, molding it in a direction more favorable toward peace negotiations with increasingly unstable Palestinians. The Intifada also marked the first time that broad segments of the Palestinian population became involved in the movement against Israeli occupation. Until then, most of the opposition had been externally organized by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Though marked by great instability, peace talks continued throughout the Intifada. In 1988, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat condemned all forms of terrorism and recognized the state of Israel. Attempting to restore stability, U.S. President Ronald Reagan authorized “substantive dialogue” with the PLO, which received further support from the UN General Assembly in its Resolution 53/196, which “reaffirmed the inalienable rights” of Palestinians in the Golan Heights. A new round of secret talks between Israeli and PLO negotiators began in Oslo, Norway. On September 13, 1993, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime MinisterYitzhak Rabin signed a Declaration of Principles, in which Israel recognized the PLO and gave it limited autonomy in occupied territories in return for peace. In response, the PLO gave up claims to Israeli territories defined by pre1967 boundaries and agreed to end the Intifada. The
Israel-JCC 9
process by which Israel gradually exchanged land for peace on the way toward a final agreement became known as the “Oslo peace process.” The following summer, Israel and the PLO reached the “Cairo Agreement,” a conciliatory Israeli military withdrawal from 60% of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho. On July 1, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat returned to Gaza and took up his new position as head of the new Palestinian Authority (PA). Relative peace would be short lived, however, as the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at the hands of a disgruntled Orthodox Jew in November destabilized the peace process. Under the leadership of right-centrist Binyamin Netanyahu, who succeeded Shimon Peres as Prime Minister of Israel in 1996, Israel made even further concessions. In November of 1997, it returned over 80% of the West Bank town of Hebron to Palestinian rule; on May 23, 2000, Israel unilaterally withdrew from areas of Lebanese occupation dating back to 1982. In July of 2000, a peace summit at Camp David ended deadlocked over Palestinian claims to excessive portions of Jerusalem and Israel. Palestinians accused Israelis of not being willing to make the compromises necessary for an agreement, while Israel believed its offer of handing over 95% of the West Bank and Gaza for the formation of a Palestinian state to be generous. This atmosphere of on-and-off conflict led to what is considered the “second” Intifada, a period of reinvigorated Palestinian violence that has lasted until the present day. In response to the emergence of new and increased tensions, the Israeli security cabinet voted to expand the IDF’s capacity to target Palestinian terrorists in July of 2001. At the same time, it
!
reaffirmed its commitment to acting in compliance with the “laws of armed conflict.” Following the Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001, international pressures to bring Israel and the Palestinians to negotiations increased, in part due to requests from Arab and Muslim governments supporting the newly established war on terrorism. For the first time, American President George W. Bush began to support the creation of a separate Palestinian state. The Conflict Today Since 2009, the Obama administration has repeatedly pressured Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to a) slow the growth of Israeli settlements in the West Bank; and b) reignite the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian people. During his Cairo speech on June 2009, Obama declared that the United States “does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements." In response, Netanyahu argued that he would accept a Palestinian state if Jerusalem remained the united capital of Israel, the Palestinian Authority ruled without an army, and if Palestinians gave up their demand for a right of return. In 2012, the Palestinian Authority (PA) successfully applied for admission as a United Nations non-member state. The draft resolution was passed on November 29 by a vote of 138 to 9 and 41 abstentions. In spite of such recognition, however, the Palestinian state continues to exist on a largely symbolic level. Israel has noted that a true Palestinian state can only arise out of successful peace negotiations.
The years 2013 and 2014 are poised to be of great significance for Israel and the international community as a whole. A time has arrived in which Israel must decide whether to take military action against Palestinian neighbors and Iranian aggressors, or if it should entrust the United States with maintaining peace if the processes of diplomacy and economic sanctions fail. In Lebanon, Hezbollah is armed with thousands of explosive devices and well-trained fighters; the Sinai continues to harbor an al-Qaeda presence and the Muslim Brotherhood influence in Cairo continues to grow; farther south, Hamas is recovering from damage Israel recently inflicted and rebuilding the Gaza Strip into a new hotbed of terrorism. In a region where drastic turns of events are feasible and even ordinary, the only certainty is one echoed over fifty years ago: as the complex wheels of Israeli and Palestinian politics turn, the world will be watching.
!
Israel-JCC 11
What the Israeli Cabinet will Address With the escalating tensions of a new Middle East, shaped by not only the ongoing ArabIsraeli conflict but also the recent Arab Spring, how will this cabinet create policy and plans that will secure the peace and stability of Israel for years to come? Time has come for concrete, grand designs that will target the roots of the issue, rather than address step-by-step momentary conflict solution. Your job as delegates is to serve as Israeli ambassadors for your own values but also for the greater good of your country. Keep in mind your political affiliations and what you’ve done and proposed thus far, but do not shy away from granting concessions and thinking in the larger picture of diplomacy. Once you enter the committee room, time will be frozen and you will shape the future of the conflict – do not take a path already traced, but instead think of what new ideas you can bring to the table. Israeli settlements are a pressing issue, and you must weigh in the political significance of building new ones as well as evacuation as deemed necessary. You must also think of the needs of the Palestinians – how much aid should given? What are some laws that could be changed? How can you improve the tensions? Also think about the region itself – what are some important allies that can help Israel in securing peace? What countries should we be reaching out to? And finally, think about the idea of a Palestinian state itself. Do you want one? Should we have one? One state solution? Two states? Where? When?.. The questions are many, but we know you have it in your power to make a difference. Good luck and see you in the cabinet! With the escalating tensions of a new Middle East, shaped by not only the ongoing ArabIsraeli conflict but also the recent Arab Spring, how
!
will this cabinet create policy and plans that will secure the peace and stability of Israel for years to come? Time has come for concrete, grand designs that will target the roots of the issue, rather than address step-by-step momentary conflict solution. Your job as delegates is to serve as Israeli ambassadors for your own values but also for the greater good of your country. Keep in mind your political affiliations and what you’ve done and proposed thus far, but do not shy away from granting concessions and thinking in the larger picture of diplomacy. Once you enter the committee room, time will be frozen and you will shape the future of the conflict – do not take a path already traced, but instead think of what new ideas you can bring to the table. Israeli settlements are a pressing issue, and you must weigh in the political significance of building new ones as well as evacuation as deemed necessary. You must also think of the needs of the Palestinians – how much aid should given? What are some laws that could be changed? How can you improve the tensions? Also think about the region itself – what are some important allies that can help Israel in securing peace? What countries should we be reaching out to? And finally, think about the idea of a Palestinian state itself. Do you want one? Should we have one? One state solution? Two states? Where? When?.. The questions are many, but we know you have it in your power to make a difference. Good luck and see you in the cabinet!
Committee Positions ! Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel and Chairman of the Likud party in the Knesset. Born in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister born in Israel sicne the establishment of the state. Before his political career, Netanyahu served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the Six-Day War in 1967. After his term as Prime Minister from June 1996 to July 1999, he moved briefly to the private sector and ultimately returned to politics in 2002 as Foreign Affairs Minister and Finance Minister (2003–2005). His recent victory in the 2013 elections has made him the second person to be elected to the position of Prime Minister for a third term in the history of Israel. Netanyahu is widely considered one of the most influential Jewish figures on the planet. With regard to the Israel-Palestine conflict, he has been one of the leading advocates of a one-state solution. Given recent developments and pressure from the international stage, however, this position may change.
!
Israel-JCC 13
Tzipi Livni creating and sustaining dialogue for a nonviolent solution to the conflict. Shimon Peres
Tziporah Malkah "Tzipi" Livni is Israel's current Minister of Justice and former cabinet minister, most notably serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2009. Unable to form a coalition government after the 2009 elections, she served as the leader of Kadima, the largest party in the Knesset, until 2012. Livni--a self-proclaimed nationalist--has become one of the nation's leading voices for the two-state solution, earning her a reputation as a largely principled politician. As Minister of Justice under Prime Minister Netanyahu, Livni is charged with overseeing the country's diplomatic initiatives and peace talks with the Palestinians. As such, she is a key figure in
!
Shimon Peres is the current President of the State of Israel, serving a largely ceremonial role since 2007 after a lengthy career. Over a period of sixty-six years, Peres served twice as Prime Minister and has been a member of 12 cabinets. He has represented five political parties in the Knesset: Mapai, Rafi, the Alignment, Labor, and Kadima, and also won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for peace in which he participated as Israeli Foreign Minister, producing the Oslo Accords. Peres's recent political stance is more conciliatory than that earlier in his career. Though opposed to talks with the PLO, he is a strong supporter of peace through economic cooperation and has spoken of the need for "territorial compromise" over the West Bank and Gaza. His ceremonial post, while ultimately deferent to posts of greater power, remains an important one, as does his ability to influence present-day political circumtances.
Israel-JCC 14 Benny Gantz
day operations of the Israeli military and for carrying out political orders from the highest tiers of Israeli leadership. As such, he has the ability to mobilize military units and respond to diplomatic and military crises around Israel. Uri vnery
Lieutenant General Benny Gantz is the current Chief of the General Staff and Commanderin-Chief of the Israeli Defense Forces. He replaced Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, a prominent Israeli military and political figure, as Chief of Staff in 2010. Given the IDF's importance in daily life, Gantz's role has catapulted him to public importance in Israel. A key authority in military decision-making, he is responsible for the day-to-
!
Israel-JCC 15
Uri Avnery is a prominent writer and founder of the Gush Shalom peace movement. He is famous for meeting Yassir Arafat during the Siege of Beirut on July 3, 1982, the first time a Palestinian leader had ever met with an Israeli official. Gush Shalom opposes Israeli occupation of the West Bank on the basis that the occupation is illegal, and also disagrees with the blockade and non-recognition of the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, his movement supports the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine question, with the 1967 border between Israel and Palestine, and with Jerusalem as the capital of both states. Recently, Gush Shalom claimed that Israel's offer to Yasser Arafat in the Camp David negotiations of 2000 was not a "generous offer" but "a humiliating demand for surrender."
Religious Leaders summit. He has also gained support of the Dalai Lama in efforts to revitalize interfaith dialogue across Eurasia. Metzger has noted that he favors “every initiative that can prevent bloodshed and terror." Dani Dayan
Yona Metzger
Rabbi Yona Metzger is the former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. During and after his tenure, he has been a major proponent of friendly relationships with other religious communities. One idea Metzger has repeatedly proposed is the establishment of a “religious United Nations” in Jerusalem. On a February 2007 trip to India, joined other prominent rabbis in signing a declaration opposed to violence as part of a World Council of
!
Dani Dayan was the Chairman of the Yesha Council until 2013. Prior to this role, Dayan he was the Secretary-General of the Tehiya party and Knesset member. Following his Yesha Council election, Dayan began transforming it into an effective political lobby. Despite his secularity, Dayan has been a key figure in supporting religious settlements and opposing a two-state solution, believing that holding onto the West Bank is in Israel's best interest. Moshe Ya'alon The former IDF chief of staff from 2002 to 2005, Moshe Ya'alon currently serves as the Israeli Defense Minister. His tenure has been marked by a conflagratory attitude toward Palestinians. In the past, he has stated that the “Palestinian threat harbors cancer-like attributes that have to be
Israel-JCC 16 severed.� However, he has also recognized the importance of accepting a gradual peace process in spite of weariness toward additional Israeli land concessions.
Yair Lapid is a prominent Israeli businessman, journalist, and chairman of Mavet Le'Nechim, an NGO driven by the pursuit of social equality. He currently serves as Israel’s Minister of Finance and as chairman of the increasingly prominent and moderate Yesh Atid Party. In May 2013, Lapid ranked first on the Forbes list of most influential Jews. His rapid rise to prominence is attributed to an agenda of helping the middle class, ending ultra-Orthodox hegemony, and refocusing elections on domestic Israeli issues over broader problems such as war. On the peace process, Lapid secured a remarkable popular consensus, taking 150,000 votes away from Likud and toward his center-left coalition.
Yair Lapid
Naftali Bennett
Naftali Bennett leads the variously described right-wing party The Jewish Home, which controls 12 seats out of 120 as of the 2013 Knesset elections. Domestically, he favors policies associated with free market systems and private business (economic liberalization).
!
Israel-JCC 17
Since 2012, Bennett has proposed an alternate plan for managing the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Within his “Tranquilizing Plan,” Bennett opposes a Palestinian state and instead proposes a tripartition of certain territories between Israel, Palestine, and Egypt. Palestinians living in Israeli areas would be offered citizenship or permanent residency status. Israel would also invest in roads for improved transnational connections. In 2011, Bennett used factories in the West Bank industrial region as evidence for the possibility of improved bilateral relations.
has given him significant leadership credibility in the national stage, lending recent promise to his political party and Palestinian partition plan. Shelly Yachimovich
Avigdor Lieberman
Avigdor Lieberman is the chairman of Israel’s nationalist right-wing political party, Yisrael Beiteinu. From 2009 to 2012, he served as Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister; other past roles include Minister of National Infrastructure and campaign ally with Binyamin Netanyahu. In May of 2004, Lieberman presented the “Populated Area Exchange Plan,” a proposed Israel-Palestine solution involving the exchange of Arab towns along the West Bank for Jewish settlements along pre-1967 boundaries. Lieberman’s history of service in security portfolios
!
Shelly Yachimovich is the current Leader of the Opposition of Israel and head of the left-leaning Labor Party. A member of the Knesset since 2006, she is a former journalist, writer, and media commentator. By December 2008, she had become a popular candidate in the Labor Party’s primary elections to the 18th Knesset, establishing herself as a leading political figure. During her time in the Knesset, Yachimovich successfully passed a wide array of legislation focused on employment benefits, immigration reform, and gender equality. In 2011, she was elected chairwoman of the Labor
Israel-JCC 18 Party for the 19th Knesset general elections, defeating the incumbent by more than 10% of the votes. She has been a leading advocate for the advancement of the peace process, critical of Netanyahu’s less compromising approach. Amir Peretz
or of more expedited peace). One of the early leaders of the Peace Now movement, Peretz has tried to set more liberal agendas for his parties in matters concerning the peace process, attempting to equate the importance of solving the Palestinian conflict with Israel's most pressing social and economic concerns. Shaul Mofaz Lt. General (ret.) Shaul Mofaz is an Israeli politician and former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces. After a victory against Tzipi Livni in 2012, he temporarily served as Leader of the Opposition in the Knesset. After his tenure as the 16th IDF Chief of Staff, Mofaz’s expertise in military and defense operations led to his appointment as Israel's Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister. As Chairman of the Kadima Party, he currently leads the smallest party in the Knesset and holds right-centric views similar to those of Netanyahu on the Palestinian peace process: he supports maintaining major Israeli settlements and an Israel-controlled Jerusalem.
Amir Peretz is Israel’s current Minister of Environmental Protection. Having previously served as Minister of Defence and leader of the Labor Party, he went on to leave the Labor Party in 2012 in favor of Hatnuah, a more centrist movement. With respect to Palestinians and the Arab world, Peretz is regarded as dovish (in fav
!
Israel-JCC 19
Nir Barkat Endorsed by the Labor Party, Nir Barkat successfully ran in the 2013 Jerusalem mayoral elections. Before his mayoral incumbency, he started his career in the technology industry, founding an antivirus software company called BRM. Its success and transformation into a venture firm netted Barkat international attention as well as prominence within Israel. Barkat is described as secular, contrasting with his former opponents in the mayoral race. In spite of his relative secularity, however, he is strongly opposed to Palestinian sovereignty within the city, instead suggesting that Palestinians rename Ramallah as “northern Jerusalem.�
!
Israel-JCC 20
Suggestions for Further Research Al Jazeera News www.aljazeera.com/ BBC News www.bbc.co.uk Security Council News http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/security_council/index.html?scp=1spot&sq=UN%20Security%20Council&st=cse Foreign Policy Magazine www.foreignpolicy.com/ Human Rights Watch www.hrw.org Global Policy Forum www.globalpolicy.org/ BBC comprehensive guide of Middle East Conflict (a must read!) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special_reports/middle_east_crisis/ Interactive map of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/multimedia/interactive-mappingtheisraelipalestinianconflict.html
!
Please also make sure you are registered on the delegate forum, your advisors should provide you with a sign up ink. For the latest information, updates, topic guides and more, visit Yale Model United Nations online at: http://ymun.yira.org For the second year, YMUN will be offering a competitive essay competition. For the rules and guidelines visit: http://ymun.yira.org/essay-contest/ Interested in participating in a challenging new program for highly motivated and exceptional delegates? Apply for the Global Exchange Program at: http://ymun.yira.org/global-exchange/ Get connected and download the new Yale Model United Nations iPhone application: https://itunes.apple.com/tc/app/yale-model-unitednations/id721125366?mt=8 or search for Yale Model UN
Like Yale Model United Nations on Facebook and receive all the latest updates: https://www.facebook.com/yalemun
Stay up to date and follow Yale Model United Nations both before and during the conference: @YaleModelUN Find the latest pictures on Yale Model United Nations’s Instagram: ymun: http://instagram.com/ymun