(1st broadcast on the BBC World Service on Friday 5th July 2002)
Levels
of anger and violence have reached such a pitch in the Middle
East that it's hard to imagine Palestinian and Israeli delegations
even consenting to meet - let alone working out a solution.
In this climate of intense distrust the BBC has organised
its own Middle East conference - in an effort to get influential
figures from both sides to find some common ground on which
they can agree.
To hear how successful they were join Tim Sebastian in Jerusalem
for the special BBC Middle East debate.
He talks to: Dore Gold - adviser to Ariel Sharon, former Israeli
Ambassador to the UN
Uri Savir - Former Chief Negotiator for Israel during
the Oslo talks, now President of the Peres Centre for Peace
Ghassan Khatib - Palestinian Labour Minister and part
of Palestinian Delegation to Madrid talks in 1991
Ziad Abu Zayad, Member of the Palestinian Legislative
Council
