Major Peace Players

I Thess. 5, 1-6
1 But of the [end] times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Middle East countries:

Armenia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan
Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestininian Authority, Qatar
Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Peace Timetable
Latest Middle East peace talk news

The following are major players in the escalating Middle East peace deals. The latest news about these players and how they affect the peace process is updated here. Players are listed in alphabetical order.


King Abdullah Jordan
	Martti Ahtisaari was a major player in the Kosovo peace negotiations. He is a peacemaker. On Thursday, July 15, 1999, Yassir Arafat asked Ahtisaari to become involved in the Israeli-Palistinian peace process. ``We urge His Excellency to play a similar role in the peace process in the Middle East region because he enjoys prestige, respect and appreciation with all parties,'' Arafat said through a translator. Also of important note is that he is also the current (July 1999) president of the EU. The presidency rotates.
Ahtisaari, Martti President (Finland and EU)
	Syria wants nothing less than the full withdrawal of Israelis from of the Golan Heights. They also want a swift resolution to the peace talks which had broken down three years earlier. Barak has promised to resolve the issue quickly.
al-Assad, Hafez President Syria
	Abdel-Ilah al-Khatib met with Yassir Arafat on the Gaza Strip on July 22, 1999 after the two held peace talks.
al-Khatib, Abdel-Ilah Foreign Minister Jordan
	Yassir Arafat has been pushing for land for his peoples for many years. But his seeming mission of simply having Jewish promised land does not erase his own covenent which calls for the annihilation of the Jews. His peace is a false peace. He and Barak are the two most central players in the Middle East peace deals.
Arafat, Yassir Chairman Palestinians
	Aznar visted Jerusalem on July 22, 1999 regarding the peace talks between Israel and Syria. Aznar took center-stage in Middle East peacemaking, briefing Barak on his talks with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.
Aznar, Jose Maria Prime Minister Spain
	On July 19, 1999, Barak made the statement that he was expecting to have all the Middle East peace deals settled within 15 months (by Oct. 2000). This caused much concern with Arafat who felt that the Wye River agreement should not be postponed simply because of Israel's new government, and Barak assured him that it would not be. Barak is interested in making peace with his Arab neighbors. At a press conference in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, July 9, 1999, Barak vowed to leave no stone unturned to make peace with his Arab neighbours but cautioned he needed time. The Palestinians are urging Barak to move faster on the peace accord, and he is scheduled to meet again with Arafat on July 24, 1999.
Barak, Ehud Prime Minister Israel
	Tony Blair is lending his support to the Middle East peace process.
Blair, Tony Prime Minister United Kingdom
	Clinton feels that dividing Israel with the Palestinians is a good idea. Interesting to note, however, that Hillary Clinton does not agree with him on this issue. One of the political issues on the table at the moment is moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel's capital, Jerusalem. Congress passed a law in 1995 that called on the administration to move the embassy by May 31, 1999. But in June, Clinton used a security waiver granted to him in the legislation to delay the move. ``Jerusalem is Israel's capital, a fact that should have been recognized long ago by putting our embassy there,'' 84 senators said in a letter, dated July 13 and signed by both Republicans and Democrats. Clinton's response: He said the United States had ``no business trying to prejudge'' the issue of Jerusalem's status. Hillary disagrees with him about this too.
Clinton, Bill President USA
	The Crown Prince of Morocco, born 1963 and never married. His father's death on July 23, 1999 leaves the ruling of Morocco in his hands. He also has a brother, Moulay Rachid. What Sidi's role in the peace process becomes remains to be determined. His father, King Hassan II, was a staunch supporter of the West, and he long worked secretly for Middle East peace and played a leading role in getting the 1991 Madrid peace conference held. But he twice refused to meet Israel's right-wing former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was ousted from office earlier this year by Ehud Barak. Hassan had also pushed to try to bring opposition into government and last year appointed Socialist veteran Abderrahmane El Youssoufi as prime minister, achieving a long-held vision of greater unity in his country.
Mohammed, Sidi Crown Prince Morocco

Mubarek, Hosni President Egypt
	In June 1992, following the election of a new Labor Government, Peres was appointed Foreign Minister. In this capacity, he promoted the process leading to the signing of the Declaration of Principles with the Palestinians on September 13, 1993, and oversaw its implementation. In 1994, in recognition of his pursuit of peace, Peres was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. In the same year, he promoted the contacts with Jordan which led to the signing of the Israel-Jordan peace agreement on October 26, 1994. On November 5, 1995, following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Peres replaced him as Prime Minister, a post which he held until the 1996 elections. Shimon Peres says he believes conflict among the world's religions is not the dominant factor in religious strife. Rather, the real clash of each religion is with the modern age as fundamentalist movements within each faith struggle to come to terms with an entirely new world. Links: 1.), 2.), 3.)
Peres, Shimon Former Prime Minister Nobel peace laureate Israel
	The World Bank has already given $100 million for Palestinean/Israeli technological advancement. World Bank president James Wolfensohn met with Yassir Arafat at Arafat's office in Gaza City, Thursday, July 22, 1999, prior to a meeting to discuss financial issues concerning the Palestinian Authority. He met with Ehud Barak the following day. Earlier, on July 13, 1999, a high level steering group meeting was held in Brussels,to map out an action plan for rebuilding Kosovo. The meeting is co-shaired by the European Commission and the World Bank.
Wolfensohn, James President World Bank