Mitchell Report, 2001

Mitchell Report, 2001CIE+

In the midst of severe Palestinian-Israeli clashes, a committee led by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell concludes, as had many previous investigations, that the two communities fear and want to live separately from each other. From the report flows the EU-U.N.-U.S. commitment to a two-state solution suggested in the 2003 Roadmap for Peace.

Prime Minister Sharon’s Address on Gaza Withdrawal at Herzliya Conference, 2004

Prime Minister Sharon’s Address on Gaza Withdrawal at Herzliya Conference, 2004CIE+

Prime Minister Sharon unilaterally withdrew Israeli military and civilian forces from the Gaza Strip in August 2005. Sharon sought to ensure Israel’s Jewish and democratic essence by getting out of the lives of the Palestinians. Instead Hamas used the territory to kill Jews and degrade Israel morally. Two decades later what would Sharon have said about trusting your neighbor unilaterally?

Documents and Sources|December 16, 2004
Hamas’ Political Thought in Light of the Arab Spring, 2012

Hamas’ Political Thought in Light of the Arab Spring, 2012CIE+

In a major speech, Khalid Mishaal, the Chief of the Political Bureau of Hamas presents the organization’s vision for liberation of all of Palestine, stating that it is national duty through Jihad and armed resistance. “Palestine, from its river to its sea, from its north to its south, is the land of the Palestinians; their homeland, and their legitimate right. We will not, in any way, recognize the legitimacy of the occupation. We do not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, in any way.

Documents and Sources|November 29, 2012
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — Containing Iran’s Access to Nuclear Weapons, 2015

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — Containing Iran’s Access to Nuclear Weapons, 2015CIE+

Under the deal between Iran and five world powers, Iran agreed to dismantle much of its nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars of sanctions relief. Israel called the deal too lenient. On May 8, 2018, President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA, calling it one of the “worst and most one-sided” agreements in U.S. history. Israel’s objectives in attacking Iran in June 2025 focused on the same central features Israel argued a decade earlier were not sufficiently addressed in the JCPOA.

Hamas: A Document of General Principles and Policies, 2017

Hamas: A Document of General Principles and Policies, 2017CIE+

The general principles are restated as they are in the 1988 founding Hamas Charter, jihad is the means to liberate Palestine, with an important notable addition, that these principles include ‘no recognition of the Zionist entity,’ for their point of view a terrible PLO recognition in September 1993. This document also restated the Palestinian right of return to all of Palestine defined as from the Jordan River on the east to the Mediterranean Sea.