Contents

News
The United States is said to be assuming a more active role in negotiations for a "framework agreement" between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The U.S. may offer bridging proposals during the second round of talks in Eilat, Israel. Read more

A Final Status without Final Status
According to U.S. President Bill Clinton, the Israeli-Palestinian talks on final status are "working very well. They've got a real plan for the future." Read more

To Our Readers
As our lead article suggests, there is an increasing possibility that the Oslo process will not result in formal, definitive peace treaty between Israel and Palestine, but rather in a continuing, and continuous, series of negotiations and timetables, revised to accommodate the failure to address the final status issues at the heart of the Oslo accords--the status of Jerusalem, a settlement of the refugee issue, and the borders and powers of a Palestinian state. Read more

Hebron 2000
On April 1, Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak sent a congratulatory message to the 480 settlers in Hebron on the occasion of the thirty-second anniversary of the establishment of Hebron's Jewish community. Read more

Settlers' Friends in High Places
The latest development is the prime minister's letter of congratulations and good wishes to the settlers in Hebron. Here too, one hand builds, the other validates. Read more

Settlement Timeline

From the Israeli Press
The current crisis has produced great disappointment among many in the Palestinian leadership who thought that the current Israeli government would be prepared at least to stop the expansion of settlements. Read more

Back Panel Quote
Ghassan Khatib, publisher of the Palestine Report, April 12, 2000 Read more

Map: The West Bank, After the Second Israeli Deployment, According to the Sharm al-Sheikh Memorandum

Map: Hebron–2000

Statistics: Settlers Report Population 12.5 Percent Increase to 195,000 in West Bank and Gaza