This research proposes a policy covering the participation of Israel in the peace negotiations subsequent to the Gulf War of 1991, and provides a justification for that policy. The findings of this research are presented in discussions related to problem identification, the identification of the audience to whom the policy will be justified, background information on the problem, an explanation of the policy, and the justification for the policy.
In the recently concluded hostilities in the Mideast, the actual fighting has been ended on the basis of a temporary cease fire between the two primary belligerants the United States and Iraq. A permanent cease fire is still (as of mid March 1991) being negotiated between the two parties. The longer range and broader peace process, however, will be required to deal with all of the issues which contributed to Iraq's decision to invade Kuwait, and to the American decision to intervene militarily in the situation. Many of the more significant of these underlying issues involve the state of Israel.
The state of Israel was not an active participant in the recent hostilities. The country, however, was a passive participant, in that it was subjected to Iraqi missile attacks. Israel, thus, has a legitimate interest in assuring that the peace negotiations will preserve its future security and the future safety of its population. As a non member of the Coalition Forces, and as only a passive participant in the hostilities, however, Israel has no official standing as a participant in the peace negotiations. Additionally, the long standing enmity between Israel and its Arab neighboring nations in the Mideast cause both the Israelis and the Arabs to mistrust one another.
Most of the Arab nations, however, now favor comprehensive peace negotiations, in which all parties would participate, in an effort to bring lasting peace to the region. Israel, however, opposes multilateral pe...