Queens College CUNY Showcases the Arc

The Queens College (CUNY) Center for Ethnic, Racial, & Religious Understanding recently held an event showcasing the Palestinian Arc, as envisioned by the RAND Corporation and Suisman Urban Design.  The panelists Dr. Christopher Tucker, President of Friends of the Arc, Executive Director of the American Task Force on Palestine Ghaith al-Olmari, and David Makovsky, the Ziegler distinguished fellow and director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Project on the Middle East Peace Process - addressed a community audience on the value and importance of the Arc vision, and the practical steps that must be taken in order to bring the vision into reality.  Parts of the exchange are captured in the Queens Times Ledger.

As Professor of History and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies and Director of the Michael Harrington Center at Queens College, Professor Rosenblum had the panelists present the Arc to his students whose class will revolve around a semester long simulation where they role play in "secret negotiations" between the Israelis and Palestinians, using the Palestinian Arc as a vision around which agreement might be reached.  

This simulation was explained by its creator, Sophia McGee (below), to the community audience.  And, students from the class had the opportunity to raise questions to the panelists regarding the Arc and the Israeli-Palestinian standoff.

What's Next for the Arc?

March 15: The New Palestine Party is Born, and They Embrace the Arc!

Elsalameen FADI ELSALAMEEN  

Check this video out -- New Palestine Party youtube.com/watch?v=NW04CY… via @new_palestine

Clearly there are a whole lot more Friends of the Arc out there that we had known.  Watch the video, then read the “About the NPP” tab and scroll down:

The NPP Economic Strategy is strong:

• The Palestinian Arc, as a national transportation and infrastructure corridor will provide an integrated backbone that provides a common social, economic and political space.  It will enable a national labor market, where citizens/workers can freely live and work throughout Palestine.
• The NPP is committed to the successful financing of the construction of the Palestinian Arc.
• The Arc will generate 150,000 jobs a year in its construction, and will enable hundreds of thousands more over the years.
• As the Palestinian people are one of the most educated in the Middle East, and the Palestinian Diaspora has been very successful commercially, the international connectivity enabled by the Arc will make Palestine a hub for industrial and high-tech investment in the region.
• The Arc provides a strategy for preserving the historic and holy sites throughout Palestine, which have enormous tourism potential, while providing easy access to them, which will offer another source of economic growth.
• Investment in higher education and research infrastructure will ensure that the Palestinian people can compete in a global marketplace, and contribute to the economic prosperity of the greater Middle East.

We at Friends of the Arc are watching and waiting, and willing to help.  This is great for both Palestine and Israel.

Read the Winning “Dear Mr. President” Essay from Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Stefanie Hausheer, the winner of the Friends of the Arc essay contest!  Ms. Hausheer is a graduate student at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington, DC.  Read her essay/policy brief here.

The contest called for a 1000 word response to the following challenge. 

With the resumption of direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, many observers doubt that more purely political discussions will finally produce a comprehensive peace settlement; they suggest that some paradigm-changing idea is needed to break the deadlock. You have been asked to brief President Obama about the Arc project. Prepare a policy brief making the case that the Arc plan is just such a compelling idea, and that with U.S. support, it could help negotiators achieve a breakthrough for peace.

We at Friends of the Arc were heartened by the passion and interest with which this contest was met.  Over 10,000 page views of the essay challenge led to submissions from all over the world.  Ms. Hausheer’s essay demonstrated a passion and sophisticated focus on the value that the Arc could bring to the Middle East conflict.  Entitled “Pushing for a Diplomatic Breakthrough with the Arc”, Ms. Hausheer’s essay outlined the challenge from a security, economic and political perspective.  She critiqued the policy options and recommended courses of action for the President which have true breakthrough potential.  This essay represents a departure from the Washington Consensus which has been less than productive, and offered innovative thinking that we at Friends of the Arc whole-heartedly endorse.

Join us in congratulating Ms. Hausheer, read the essay, and forward it to your friends & colleagues, and your Congressmen and Senators.  And, encourage them to become Friends of the Arc on Facebook and Twitter! 

JStreet is Coming: Watch this Video!

For everyone preparing for next week’s JStreet conference in Washington, DC, relive some of the magic of JStreet 2009 by watching Doug Suisman’s presentation on the Arc.  Even if you have watched and rewatched the Palestinian Arc video on YouTube, there is no better way to learn about it than from the lead architect himself.  If you haven’t already shared the Arc already, there is no better time.  Join us on Facebook, and forward this video to all of your friends and colleagues.  The video is in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2, since it is too big to be a single YouTube video.

At JStreet 2011, please join us at the Friends of the Arc table.  We would love to meet you and talk about how you can help realize progress in the Middle East!