at conduces to the demonization of the other.” (p. 6) These conflicts often escalate to the point where the original crisis fades into the background, and the participants lose sight of it altogether. Each group believes that when one gains, the other loses automatically. Similarly, when one group compromises, it is also a loss. This is particularly difficult when religion is involved because groups will not compromise their beliefs and ethnic loyalties are very strong. Additionally, nation-states include ethnic strategies into their government, foreign policy, and politics in general. (Binder 8) The ethnic conflict in the Middle East dates back to biblical times as both the Israeli and the Palestinian nations claim territories in the area of Palestine from over two thousand years ago. Because of the religious significance of many of its sites to both religions and nations, Jerusalem is by far the most heavily disputed area. After World War II, with the help of Britain from the Balfour treaty, the Jewish state of Israel was founded in Palestine. The Jewish people were in dire need of its own state for the purposes of stability and protection. The formation of the state led to six wars between the Israelis and their Arab neighbors. Up until the Madrid Conference held in 1991, Egypt was the only Arab state to meet and negotiate peace with Israel. They had signed a peace treaty in 1979 after President Sadat visited Prime Minister Begin in Jerusalem in 1977. In exchange for this peace, Israel completed its withdrawal from the Sinai region in 1982, helping to end 30 years of hostility. The Madrid Conference provided the framework for all other negotiations between nations in the Middle East. Its framework consists of three elements. The first is the opening conference that introduces the following two elements: a bilateral and a multilateral track for negotiations. The bilateral track is used primarily to resolve the c...
