The Much Too Promised Land
Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 4:28AM 
The Much Too Promised Land
World Leaders Forum: Israel & the Palestinian Authority
May 1 — May 13, 2010
Optional Pre-Forum Extension: Lebanon and Syria, April 25–May 2, 2010
Optional Post-Forum Extension: Jordan, May 13–18, 2010
View gallery of past events
This one-of-a-kind travel event, which was also the inaugural World Leaders Forum, included a truly extraordinary lineup of local special guests, including Shimon Peres and others.“Why Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and why now?” Perhaps the question is best answered by Forum keynote speaker Aaron David Miller, who spent two decades advising six U.S. presidents on Middle East policy and the Arab-Israeli peace process. “The idea of two states for two peoples stands at a critical crossroads; Israeli and Palestinian politics and the divisions within them are as dynamic as ever; and the entire region from Lebanon to Iran seems driven by the possibilities of change. Only through the direct experience of meeting Israelis and Palestinians, exploring the real estate they both claim, understanding the holy sites they are contesting, and listening to experts and opinion makers from both sides can you even begin to come to grips with the realities that shape their lives, their hopes, and their fears. This World Leaders Forum offers a unique way to begin to understand the complexities of the ‘much too promised land.'”
Itinerary
- Days 1-2U.S. / Jerusalem, Israel
- Day 3Jerusalem
- Day 4Tel Aviv
- Day 5Jerusalem
- Day 6Mount Carmel / Galilee / Golan
- Day 7Jerusalem
- Day 8Jericho / Dead Sea
- Day 9Ramallah
- Day 10Gush Etzion / Hebron / Bethlehem
- Day 11Jerusalem
- Day 12Jerusalem
- Day 13Jerusalem / U.S.
Map
Highlights
- Travelers learned about the roots, history, present status, and future of the Arab-Israeli peace process with the help of Aaron David Miller, a top U.S. Middle East advisor to six secretaries of state, and numerous local guests.
- Each day's experiences were put into context by ABC News veteran Sam Donaldson, Foreign Affairs editor James Hoge, and American foreign policy expert Walter Russell Mead.
- The program included key players from all sides, including current and former heads of state, government ministers, ambassadors, religious leaders, scholars, journalists, military experts, and social activists.
- Excursions included sacred Christian, Jewish, and Muslim sites, including each faith’s section of Jerusalem and sites they revere in common.
- Jewish victims of the Holocaust were honored at the newly renovated Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to those who died.
- Highlights included a visit Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinian National Authority and Yasser Arafat’s base of operations; a briefing by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel; and in Tel Aviv, a visit to the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial in honor of the slain Israeli prime minister.
- Participants explored the Baha’I World Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Haifa; Capernaum, used by Jesus as the base of his ministry in Galilee; and the controversial Golan Heights region.
Pre-Tour Extension
Lebanon and Syria
April 25—May 2, 2010
In order to gain an in-depth understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict it is important to examine the history, culture, and political realities of the countries with which these two peoples are inextricably intertwined, particularly their northern neighbors, Lebanon and Syria. In the capital cities of Beirut and Damascus, participants engaged in dialogue with high-ranking officials, dignitaries, politicians, and scholars on subjects ranging from Lebanon’s civil war and the refugee question to Hezbollah and U.S./Syria relations, and enjoyed visits to the impressive national museums of each country as well as the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Baalbek and the ancient city of Damascus. Souks, mosques, and palaces round out this fascinating and informative pre-forum extension.
Post-Tour Extension
Jordan
May 13—18, 2010
The aims of this journey to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan were to observe and understand the ramifications of the 1994 Peace Treaty between Jordan and Israel, to examine Jordan’s current political reality, and to explore some of the country’s most significant sites. Travelers took a Jeep ride through the stunning desert landscape of Wadi Rum, where local Bedouin joined forces with King Faisal and Lawrence of Arabia to fight the Turkish and German armies in 1917. They also visited the spectacular rock-cut Nabataean city of Petra, the strategic Crusader Castle at Kerak, the wonderful Byzantine mosaics of Madaba, and the extensive Greco-Roman ruins of Jerash. Highlights also included meeting archaeological preservationists, NGO workers, and prominent local citizens, all of whom contribute to Jordan’s growth as a stable, viable, economically sound, culturally rich, and environmentally responsible strategic player in the Middle East.
PHOTOGRAPHY Church of the Twelve Apostles © iStockphoto.com / magicinfoto • Dome of the Rock decorations © iStockphoto.com / Dejan Gileski • Old city of Jerusalem © iStockphoto.com / Mikhail Kusayev • Dome of the Rock © Gild / Dreamstime.com • Wadi Rum © iStockphoto.com / Peter Cullen • Dome of the Rock © Gild / Dreamstime.com • Shrine of the Book © iStockphoto.com / Julius Fekete
