The Palestine Papers

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Al Jazeera: The Palestine Papers

Over the last several months, Al Jazeera has been given unhindered access to the largest-ever leak of confidential documents related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are nearly 1,700 files, thousands of pages of diplomatic correspondence detailing the inner workings of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. These documents – memos, e-mails, maps, minutes from private meetings, accounts of high level exchanges, strategy papers and even power point presentations – date from 1999 to 2010.

The material is voluminous and detailed; it provides an unprecedented look inside the continuing negotiations involving high-level American, Israeli, and Palestinian Authority officials.

Al Jazeera will release the documents between January 23-26th, 2011. They will reveal new details about:

• the Palestinian Authority’s willingness to concede illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, and to be “creative” about the status of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount;


• the compromises the Palestinian Authority was prepared to make on refugees and the right of return;


• details of the PA’s security cooperation with Israel;


• and private exchanges between Palestinian and American negotiators in late 2009, when the Goldstone Report was being discussed at the United Nations.

[...][source]

The Guardian: The Palestine Papers

The 1,600 or so documents in the Palestine papers were obtained by al-Jazeera and shared in advance of publication with the Guardian in an effort to ensure the wider availability of their content.

The Guardian has authenticated the bulk of the papers independently, but we have not sought or been given access to the sources of the documents.

Al-Jazeera, who are publishing the papers in full on their website, aljazeera.net, has redacted minimal parts of the papers in order to protect their sources' identity.

As part of the agreement we are publishing up to eight documents a day in full on guardian.co.uk.

In the course of working with the documents over several weeks, the Guardian has formed its own judgments about specific stories and retained full editorial control of its coverage.

Co-operation between us and al-Jazeera has been restricted to discussions of the stories and agreeing dates on which we would release the information contained in specific documents. [source]

Commentary, reactions, analysis, background information, etc.:

Guardian: What the Palestine papers tell us – video (no embedding possible) -- Guardian associate editor Seumas Milne and Middle East editor, Ian Black, discuss the leak of secret notes from years of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians

Guardian: The story behind the Palestine papers

Guardian: Secret papers reveal slow death of Middle East peace process

Guardian: Israel spurned Palestinian offer of 'biggest Yerushalayim in history'

Al Jazeera: Risks for peace -- "The overwhelming conclusion one draws from this record is that the process for a two-state solution is essentially over."

Al Jazeera: "Shocking revelations" on Jerusalem -- "The chief Palestinian negotiator appears disconnected from his own people and his wider Arab and Muslim constituency."

Twitter: #PalestinePapers

Huffington Post: Palestine Papers: Al Jazeera, Guardian Release Documents On Israeli-Palestinian Conflict -- live blogging

The Jerusalem Post: Erekat denies PA agreed to make concessions on J'lem

Anyone have any interesting Israeli sources?