Israel

Palestinian Authority chairman Yasir Arafat's decision to postpone a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) from the long-threatened May 4 deadline is due in no small part to his intense interest in the upcoming Israeli elections. He and his closest advisers, with the encouragement of Egyptian and Jordanian leaders among others

Palestinian Statehood: "Arafat knows that if he declares the establishment of a Palestinian state unilaterally, it will mean the annulment of the Oslo accords." ---Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu speaking to the Likud Central Committee at Tel Aviv's Cinerama Hall, broadcast on Israel Television's Channel 1 Network on December 27, 1998

NICHOLAS ROSTOW May 4, 1999, should not be viewed as a "Sword of Damocles." No matter what happens on May 4, both Israel and the Palestinians are obligated by international law to pursue and achieve a negotiated peace within the framework of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338

Election Background. Over the last thirty years, Israeli elections have primarily focused on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Although this issue remains important not only vis-a-vis the Palestinians but also Lebanon, this election has so far focused more on Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu's leadership. The Wye accords de-ideologized Israeli politics. The

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is considering a number of organizational changes that together could constitute the most far-reaching restructuring of the IDF since the establishment of the state. Although some of the proposed changes -- such as the creation of a strategic forces command -- are likely to enhance

Traditionally, civil-military relations in Israel have been characterized by a very high degree of synchronization, manifesting itself at the elite level in a civil-military partnership and at the popular level in a designation of Israel as a "nation in arms" and of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a "people's

ROBERT SATLOFF The Peace Process: President Clinton's visit is generating Palestinian euphoria and Israeli ambivalence. The huge strategic gain for the Palestinians -- de facto U.S. recognition of the legitimacy of their aspirations to statehood -- is the product of a studied campaign by PA Chairman Yasir Arafat to do

Because I will not be speaking about the events occurring at the Wye Plantation, "Wye Not" might be the title of my address today. Hassan Asfour and I are operating under considerable constraints following the President Bill Clinton's request that we not talk publicly about developments at Wye in the

MONA MAKRAM-EBEID Camp David saw an Arab-Israeli conflict "permanently altered." The accords have withstood the change of Egyptian government from Anwar Sadat to Hosni Mubarak, which demonstrates their acceptance by the Egyptian body politic. Indeed, they have been accepted by the Arab world: Mubarak has succeeded in regaining Egypt's central