Middle East Security Studies

This project examined the major political, economic, and security obstacles standing in the way of a durable Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement. Initiated in 1989, this study convened multiple conferences and study groups — in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East — that focused on specific contentious issues, including the Palestinian “Right to Return,” the status of Jerusalem, the Middle East arms race, the role of Jordan and Egypt in securing regional peace, and the transition to Palestinian self-rule. Many international events — including the 1991 Gulf War, the 1993 signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO, and the 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin — affected the course and direction of this study. The study group on Israeli-Palestinian security relations received widespread media attention for helping to facilitate the signing of the Oslo Accords. The Academy published two reports and several papers produced by this project.