(adapted from PBS’ Global Connection at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/educators/nations/lesson2.html
Context: In 2002, Saudi Arabia put forward an initiative to attempt to resolve the Middle East conflict. Each of you will play a role in discussing the initiative. You will need to research your character, and the position your character has on each of the issues in the Saudi Initiative. Be prepared to present and debate on 12/10 (B Band) and 12/11 (G Band).
Preparation
1. Research on your assigned leader to explore background, personal history,
and statements or actions regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict. There are
several Internet resources that are a good beginning for student research.
Write a one-paragraph biography of your character’s political
views.
2. Based on your research, each student should write a paragraph explaining
how the interests and values of their character would lead them to react to
the proposed Saudi peace plan. Write a one-page typed statement on your views
of the Saudi Initiative.
See the Saudi Initiative at: http://www.peacelobby.org/saudi_initiative.htm
a. Do they favor the Saudi initiative, or parts of the Saudi Initiative?
b. Are they not yet ready either to commit to this course of action or reject
it?
c. Do they reject the plan outright and feel their interests would be better
served by unilateral action, whether it be violence, disengagement, increased
security measures, a fence, etc.?
• Biographies of the Middle East
http://meria.biu.ac.il/research-g/biographies.html
MERIA's guide provides a basis for exploring Internet biographies of leading
figures in the Middle East.
• Middle East Conflicts: Biographies
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/arabis.html#biog
Biographies of individuals involved in the Middle East conflict
• The World Factbook 2001
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/index.html
The Central Intelligence Agency publishes information on the geography, people,
government, and economy of each Middle Eastern country.
• Mahmoud Abbas, leader of Palestinian Authority
• Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader, former minister of education
• Sari Nusseibeh, Palestinian intellectual
• Maha Abu-Dayyeh Shamas, director of the Jerusalem Women's Center for
Legal Aid and Counseling
• Abd al-Aziz al-Rantisi, leader of Hamas
• Ramadan Shallah, leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad
• Marwan Barghouti, lieutenant of Yasser Arafat
• Hamas Ismail Haniyeh, head of Gaza's Hamas government
• Shimon Peres, head of state of Israel
• Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister of Israel
• Tzali Reshef, leader of Peace Now
• Terry Greenblatt, director of Bat Shalom
• Ariel Sharon, former prime minister of Israel
• Benjamin Netanyahu, former prime minister of Israel
• Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, a leader of Gush Emunim
• Eli Yishai, leader of Shas party
• George W. Bush, current president of the United States
• Condaleeza Rice, current U.S. secretary of state
• Bill Clinton, former president of the United States
• Edward Said, Palestinian-American intellectual
• King Abdullah of Jordan
• Bashar al-Asad, president of Syria
• Hosni Mubarak, president of Egypt
• King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia
2. The Role Play
a. Students should introduce themselves as their character, stating their
title and country represented, with a one-sentence summary of their feelings
about the peace plan.
b. In blocs, students will discuss their groups’ perspective on the Saudi
Initiative.
c. Staying in character, students will then attend a reception at a regional
conference convened to discuss the Saudi initiative. For approximately 10 minutes
students will gather in small, informal groups to discuss their reaction to
the plan. Students may move from group to group, staying in character at all
times. At the reception, the leaders are seeking to garner support and would
like to convince one another of their own views in regard to the peace initiative.
As you move from person to person, keep the following in mind:
Why should the person with whom I am speaking come around to my point of view?
What would they gain from this? What objections or fears might they have,
and how could they be overcome?
d. Students will "debrief" by returning to their seats and writing
a second paragraph explaining with whom they spoke, some significant details
of their conversations, and their final decision on the Saudi peace initiative.
• Did they change their minds from the first round? Why or why not?
• If not, what would have convinced them to do so?