Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories

The formal framework of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, set out in the Oslo I, Oslo II, and Hebron agreements, has been in crisis since Israel's decision in March to begin construction on a new settlement at Jebel Abu Ghneim (Har Homa) in annexed East Jerusalem...

In remarks made in the course of her September trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright raised the profile of U.S. opposition to unilateral actions affecting issues to be raised in final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The following article on the explosive issue of Israel's demolition of illegally constructed residential housing in Jerusalem appeared in Ha'aretz on August 17. The author, Jerusalem attorney Daniel Zeidman, represents Palestinian plaintiffs in the Jebel Abu Ghneim construction controversy and is legal adviser for the Ir Shalem organization which has led Israeli opposition to construction at the site.

On August 6, Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright offered her assessment of U.S. policy toward the Israel-Palestinian conflict in a speech before the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Later that day, President Bill Clinton addressed the issue at a White House press conference. Excerpts from their remarks appear below.

During July 1997, Hani al-Hassan, a Palestinian businessman and Fatah veteran, participated in informal discussions with Israelis on final status issues. An excerpt from an interview published in al-Hayat, August 6, 1997, follows.