Description
This Was 2003 is part of PASSIA’s ongoing efforts to compile and maintain annual chronologies with the intent to preserve day-to-day history of Palestinian life. Documentation of important events is set in the context of local, regional and world affairs with a special section devoted to the fate of the city of Jerusalem. The year 2003, has not only witnessed numerous sieges, air raids, and assassinations, but also Israel’s continued implementation of its massive project of building a separation barrier in the West Bank and around Jerusalem as well as its relentless pursuance of settlement expansion. In the course of this year, constant Israeli threats against Chairman Yasser Arafat as well as internal reform efforts have prompted the idea of appointing a Prime Minister in the Palestinian political system. Also during 2003, several attempts at peace negotiations were carried out; these included talks between the United States and the newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, which, following a summit in Egypt, resulted in the release of the Road Map for Peace. The Geneva Accord was another – unofficial – Palestinian-Israeli attempt to draft an agenda to settle the conflict. However, these peace efforts were thwarted by the lack of consensus between the two sides.
