Washington Report On Middle East Affairs – October 2018

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agricultural sector and in childhood devel-

opment. Gazans are not only resilient, he

noted enthusiastically, but also educated

and productive, with good English and IT

(information technology) proficiency. “When

I look at our projects I see the brink of suc-

cess,” he concluded hopefully.

—Elaine Pasquini

Interns Practice Diplomatic Skills

At Model Arab League Event

“If you were to ask me what this new Arab

League is, I would say that it is the core

around which I build these great hopes...It

is a pact which others may consider as an

ideal, for in its shade we cooperate on the

principle that all states are equal in rights.

In our League we recognize neither big nor

small states...the biggest of these states,

the most expensive, the richest in learning

and wealth, is in my view totally equal to her

smallest sister...We cooperate to keep the

peace among us and to make one another

happy, yes, indeed, we cooperate to im-

prove our economies, just as we cooperate

to ameliorate our culture and social condi-

tions and to build in time, our united social

being.”—Abd al-Rahman Azzam, first sec-

retary-general, League of Arab States,

Cairo, Egypt, 1946.

On July 14, the National Council on U.S.-

Arab Relations (NCUSAR) organized a

Model Arab League simulation for summer

interns at Georgetown University in Wash-

ington, DC.

Dr. John Duke Anthony, founder and

CEO of NCUSAR, addressed the interns in

opening remarks, providing a brief guideline

of what to expect, particularly for first-time

participants such as this reporter. “The

League of Arab States pre-existed the

United Nations,” he noted.

Interns were divided into three commit-

tees: Palestinian Affairs, Social Affairs and

Joint Defense Council. Each committee

comprised around seven people, including

the chair, a role undertaken by NCUSAR

summer interns as well. Intern-delegates

represented the following countries: Saudi

Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon,

Palestine, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Djibouti,

United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Tunisia

and Algeria.

The Committee on Palestinian Affairs fo-

cused on three topics: devising contingency

plans and increasing resiliency to protect

civilians and infrastructure from military of-

fensives; securing increased water access

for Palestinians; and facilitating cooperation

between Fatah and Hamas.

The Committee on Social Affairs exam-

ined methods to address rising public

health concerns in the Arab world, ad-

dressed the rising cost of food in the region,

and proposed reforms to Arab higher edu-

cation systems.

The Joint Defense Council committee fo-

cused on reassessing inter-Arab defense

and security relationships, outlining goals

for modernizing the Arab military and exam-

ining League emergency preparedness and

natural disaster response protocols.

This reporter served as the Saudi Ara-

bian delegate on the Palestinian Affairs

Committee. The delegates drafted a reso-

lution calling on Arab League members to

promote a peace agreement between Israel

and Palestine that stipulates:

• Withdrawal of Israeli forces and illegal
  settlers from the occupied territories, and
  the declaration of borders based on the
  1949 armistice lines.


• Jerusalem as a corpus separatum, or
  international city, administered by the
  United Nations.


• Sovereignty of Palestine and Israel as
  two separate countries, each in full control
  of their own resources, including water and

infrastructure.

Part of what makes this draft resolution

unique is the stipulation, agreed upon by

consensus, that applies diplomatic and eco-

nomic punishments to Israel if it does not

comply. For example, the resolution states

that members of the Arab League will with-

hold financial and commercial cooperation

with, and investments from, Israel if the

conditions of the peace agreement are not

honored within the set time frame.

The Model Arab League event teaches

participants the significance of cooperation

through regional organizations—not only

the United Nations—in resolving conflicts,

finding common interests and goals, and

achieving peace and security.

—Leen Badeeb

Veterans For Peace Coalition

Marches in Iowa State Fair Parade

Members of Veterans For Peace (VFP)

Chapter 163 Des Moines and the Des

Moines Catholic Worker community

marched in the Iowa State Fair Veterans’

Day Parade on Aug. 13 in coalition with

supporters from Dorothy’s House, a local

organization that serves survivors of human

trafficking.

“We're the only peace and social justice

veterans' group marching today out of

about 160 groups,” said Gilbert Landolt,

VFP chapter president. “We try to bring a

message of peace to the parade every

year. We're against these wars and

Model Arab League participants take a break from deliberations.

PHOTO COURTESY NCUSAR

OCTOBER 2018 WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

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