Write an Op-ed on one of the following statements/issues – (800-900 words)
There are sev statements/issues for you to write about. CHOOSE ONE! Write in the style of an op-ed, arguing the case one way or another. Think about the reader and the audience of your op-ed: “Opposite of the Editorial Page.”
1. US State Department on decision to close PLO embassy in Washington (10 September 2018)
The Administration has determined after careful review that the office of the General Delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington should close. We have permitted the PLO office to conduct operations that support the objective of achieving a lasting, comprehensive peace between Israelis and the Palestinians since the expiration of a previous waiver in November 2017. However, the PLO has not taken steps to advance the start of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel. To the contrary, PLO leadership has condemned a U.S. peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the U.S. government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise. As such, and reflecting Congressional concerns, the Administration has decided that the PLO office in Washington will close at this point
2. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – statement on opening of US embassy in Jerusalem (14 May 2018)
Today I am proud to celebrate the opening of the United States Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem. This significant event fulfills a promise made by President Trump. As he proclaimed on December 6, 2017, “Seventy years ago, the United States, under President Truman, recognized the State of Israel. Since then, the State of Israel has made its capital in Jerusalem — the capital the Jewish people established in ancient times. It is therefore appropriate for the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.” We remain committed to advancing a lasting and comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
3. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – statement on Israeli settlements 18 November: After carefully studying all sides of the legal debate, this administration [belives] The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law ……calling the establishment of civilian settlements inconsistent with international law hasn’t worked. It hasn’t advanced the cause of peace.
4. President Trump on release of the Trump Plan 28 January ‘My vision presents a win-win opportunity for both sides, a realistic two-state solution that resolves the risk of Palestinian statehood to Israel’s security’. Was the Trump Plan a missed opportunity?
5. Now is the time to talk with Hamas
6. It is time to convene an international conference to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
7. The Two State Solution is Over