Arc coverage in the New York Times

Check out this feature article on the Arc published by the New York Times. Although its five years old now, the article serves as a powerful reminder that the Arc offers a compelling vision for a peaceful, prosperous, and secure Palestinian state. It was a good idea then, and its an even better idea now.

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Arc Update from Ramallah - An Interview on PRI's "The World"

Marco Werman, anchor of PRI's "The World", which is produced by the BBC, PRI, and WBGH Boston, interviews Doug Suisman about the Arc, about his recent trip to Ramallah, and about the prospects for moving the Arc towards implementation. You can listen here:  http://media.theworld.org/audio/070820106.mp3. You can also visit The World's website here: Planned rail would link West Bank and Gaza | PRI's The World

A New Conversation About Middle East Peace is Emerging

For good reason, the flotilla crisis in Gaza has dominated headlines in recent weeks. However, two recent articles published in Foreign Policy and Slate hit on an emerging theme that deserves attention as well – in the West Bank, leaders like Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad are taking positive steps to build the foundations for a viable state.

As Hussein Ibish writes in FP, “Although the flotilla fiasco and international outrage concerning Gaza may be more dramatic, all parties have an interest in ensuring the success of the groundbreaking developments in the West Bank. International support and Israeli cooperation are essential for this project to realize its full potential. If that happens, the creation of a viable Palestinian state might attract more than a few newspaper headlines of its own soon enough.”

For too long, the Israel/Palestine debate has been dominated by the most extreme voices on either side. Now more than ever there is need to foster a new type of conversation led by the pragmatic voices that are determined to make peace work.


Tourism and Palestine

With Gaza back at the top of the news, “Tourism” and “Palestine” seem like an incompatible pair: in areas of conflict, tourism is usually one of the first casualties (along with the wellbeing of families whose livelihood depends on it). Yet the New York Times Sunday "Travel" section just published a major “Next Stop” story on Ramallah, the defacto Palestinian capital  (article and slideshow)

Perhaps it shouldn’t be such a surprise. Because of its climate and culture, the Mediterranean is one of the world’s greatest tourist magnets - think Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, and pretty much everything in between. There’s no reason that, if the conflict could be resolved, the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank shouldn’t put their beaches, ancient cities, archeological sites, and stunning landscapes at the disposal of visitors from around the world. In fact, they already do. The Times reports that the West Bank had more than 1 million visitors in 2009. A new hotel by the Swiss chain Mövenpick is due to open in Ramallah this year, and the Palestine Investment Fund is trying to develop a resort along the Palestinian edge of the Dead Sea.

RAND’s  Arc project recognized tourism as an important sector of the economy in a prospective Palestinian state, and the Arc itself was in part designed to accommodate visitors arriving at an international airport in Gaza and linking them to the cities and sites of the West Bank. While conflict makes it harder to imagine, it should be remembered that places once synonymous with conflict – Berlin, Beirut, Cyprus, Croatia – are now magnets for international travelers. Planning now for Palestinian tourism – especially by providing a modern public transport system rather than relying on rental cars – makes environmental and economic sense, and is a key part of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s Two-Year Statehood Plan. See additional images in our Green Cities section.

Revitalizing Historic City Centers

One of the key goals of the Arc is using new infrastructure to accelerate the revitalization of the historic centers of Palestinian towns and cities. The media rarely provides images of these commercial and civic centers. A visitor sees people going about their daily lives on busy streets with a mix of historic and modern buildings. See images in our "Green Cities" section: Green Cities - Friends of the Arc