Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue

<strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>: <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> on <strong>the</strong> State of Dialogue
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International Politics
In this context, <strong>the</strong> Arab League, under <strong>the</strong>
leadership of Saudi Arabia, put forward a
blueprint for a final peace settlement based
upon secure borders <strong>and</strong> self-determination.
In <strong>the</strong> spring <strong>and</strong> summer of 2007, <strong>the</strong> Bush
administration began to press hard – for <strong>the</strong>
first time – for high-level, multilateral meetings
to achieve a just peace marked by security for
Israel <strong>and</strong> sovereignty for a Palestinian state.
Outside of official state diplomacy, <strong>the</strong>re were
several important efforts to advance dialogue
around <strong>the</strong> Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The UN-
based Alliance of Civilizations was perhaps
<strong>the</strong> most significant. The November 2006
<strong>Report</strong> of its High Level Group, which brought
toge<strong>the</strong>r leaders from government <strong>and</strong> civil
society from across major religious <strong>and</strong> secular
traditions, argued that progress depended on
advance towards a just peace. “Israel’s
continuing occupation of Palestinian <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r
Arab territories <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> unresolved status of
Jerusalem – a holy city for Muslims <strong>and</strong>
Christians as well as Jews – have persisted
with <strong>the</strong> perceived acquiescence of <strong>West</strong>ern
governments <strong>and</strong> thus are primary causes of
resentment <strong>and</strong> anger in <strong>the</strong> Muslim world
toward <strong>West</strong>ern nations.”
Against this backdrop, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Report</strong> recommended
aWhitePaperon<strong>the</strong>Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict that might offer dispassionate analysis
<strong>and</strong> juxtapose competing national narratives
on both sides as a foundation for future peace
negotiations. When asked during his farewell
press conference in December 2006 what
international issues posed <strong>the</strong> most serious
challenge to <strong>the</strong> success of Muslim-<strong>West</strong>
dialogue, Secretary-General Kofi Annan
underscored that “one crisis that has impact
well beyond its borders on people far away
from <strong>the</strong> conflict is <strong>the</strong> Israeli-Palestinian
issue.”
Awideningcircleofcivilsocietyinstitutions
has become increasingly active in public
diplomatic ventures. Search for Common
Ground, aWashington,DC-basedNGO
active around <strong>the</strong> world in support of conflict
resolution, is among <strong>the</strong> most prominent. In
January 2007 <strong>the</strong> group was among <strong>the</strong> co-
sponsors of <strong>the</strong> Madrid+15 Conference on <strong>the</strong>
peace process that featured government
representatives from Spain, Egypt, Israel,
Lebanon, Jordan <strong>and</strong> Syria, <strong>the</strong>ir counterparts
from <strong>the</strong> US, <strong>the</strong> EU, <strong>and</strong> Russia, <strong>and</strong> a variety
of civil society actors. Held to coincide with
<strong>the</strong> 15 th anniversary of <strong>the</strong> 1991 Madrid Middle
East Peace Conference, <strong>the</strong> event was also
sponsored by <strong>the</strong> Toledo International Centre
for Peace, <strong>the</strong>Fundación Tres Culturas del
Mediterráneo, FAFO <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> International
Crisis Group. Participantsreachedbroad
agreement on <strong>the</strong> requirements for a lasting
peace <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> importance of international
support for local initiatives. Norwegian Minister
of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre articulated
acommonperspective:“Theroadtorenewed
political efforts towards peace <strong>and</strong> security for
all can only be found through strong commitment
to engagement in dialogue.”
Asignificantmulti-sectoraldialogueevent
involving prominent public <strong>and</strong> private sector
figures was <strong>the</strong> February 2007 US-<strong>Islam</strong>ic
World Forum, sponsoredby<strong>the</strong>Brookings
Institution <strong>and</strong> hosted by <strong>the</strong> Government of
Qatar. The meeting, <strong>the</strong> fourth in an annual
series, brought American leaders from government
<strong>and</strong> civil society toge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong>ir counterparts
from some 37 Muslim-majority countries.
The 200 participants, drawn from multiple
sectors, addressed <strong>the</strong> topic Confronting
What Divides Us, <strong>and</strong> touched on issues
including <strong>the</strong> Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Iraq,
Iran <strong>and</strong> Lebanon. The organizers combined