Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
10 January 2002
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
SOUTH AFRICAN PARTICIPANTS
A GOVERNMENT
1. President T Mbeki
2. Minister Sisulu
3. Minister Radebe
4. Minister Kasrils
5. Minister Moosa
6. Minister Omar
7. Dep Min Pahad
8. Dep Min Nqakula
9. Dep Min Mabandla
10. Speaker F Ginwala
B FORMER GOVERNMENT
1. Pik Botha
2. Roelf Meyer
3. Leon Wessels
4. Neil Barnard
5. Mike Louw
ISRAELI PARTICIPANTS
1. Yossi Beilin
2. Avrum Burg
3. Chiam Oron
4. Naomi Chazan
5. Reuven Merhav
6. Yair Hirschfeld
7. Dr Menachem Klein
8. Daniel Levy
PALESTINIAN PARTICIPANTS
1. Dr Saeb Erakat
2. Dr Nabil Kassis
3. Dr Gazi Hananiah
4. Dr Yousif Abu Safiah
5. Mr Ziad Abu Ziad
6. Mr Salman El Herfi
7. Mr Bassil Jaber
8. Mr Ghaith El Omari
9. Mr Rami Shehada
10. Mr Hasan Dahman
INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS
1. Rob Malley
2. Winfried Veit
CV'S OF PALESTINIAN DELEGATION
DR SAEB EREKAT
Palestinian Authority Minister of Local Government.
Dr Erekat has been negotiating the interim, or transitional, agreement of the Oslo peace process with Israel since its signing in 1995. A year later he was appointed by president Arafat as head of the Palestinian Negotiation Steering and Monitoring Committee.
Dr Erekat holds the post of Minister of Local Government in the Palestinian Authority. He was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1996 on the Fatah slate representing Jericho.
Born in Jerusalem in 1955, Dr Erekat went to the US to complete his higher education. He obtained his M.A. in political science from the University of San Francisco and his doctorate in Peace Studies fro England's Bradford University. He returned to Palestine to lecture in political science at An Najah University in the West Bank town of Nablus.
A former journalist, Dr Erekat served for 12 years on the editorial board of al Quds newspaper, the Palestinian daily with the largest circulation.
Dr Erekat is the author of 8 books and numerous research papers on foreign policy, oil and conflict resolution. He also served as Secretary General of the Arab Studies Society.
DR NABIL QASSIS
Minister, Palestinian National Authority (in charge of Bethlehem 2000 Project)
Dr Qassis obtained a Diploma Physiker from Mainz University, Germany in 1969 and a PhD in Nuclear Physic from the American university in Beirut in 1972. In 1982 he took up the post of Professor of Theoretical Physics and from 1982-1984 was the Chairman of the Physics Department at Birzeit University in Palestine. Between 1984 - 1989 Dr Qassis was the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Birzeit University.
In 1991 Dr Qassis was a member of the Palestinian Team to the Madrid Peace Conference and from 1991 - 1993 was the deputy Head of the Palestinian Delegation to the Peace Talks in Washington. From 1993 - 1994 he was the Director General of the Technical and Advisory Committee of the Palestinian Team to the Peace Conference. From 1995 - 1995 Dr Qassis was a member of the Palestinian Steering Committee of the peace negotiations, occasionally heading the Palestinian side in bilateral and multilateral negotiations.
From 1994 - 1998 Dr Qassis founded and became the Director of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute.
During 1996 and 1997 he was a member of the National Dialogue Committee and member of the Special presidential Committee to investigate the findings in the report of the Auditor General.
In 1998 Dr Qassis became the Minister in charge of the Bethlehem 2000 Project and from 1999 - 2000 was a member of the Palestinian Team for the permanent Status Negotiations.
Dr Qasis is a visiting scholar of 1CTP, Italy, CEN, France, mainz University, Germany, Sussex University, UK and has produced numerous publications in theoretical physics, articles and policy papers on education and issues of public interest.
GHAITH AL-OMARI
Mr Al-Omari is a legal advisor with the Negotiations Support Unit of the Negotiations Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. Since October 1999, Mr Al-Omari has been advising the Palestinian negotiating team on refugees. In this capacity Mr Al-Omari attended most permanent status negotiation session, including Camp David and Taba.
Previously, Mr Al-Omari worked for a Palestinian human rights organisation. Mr Al-Omari also taught in a number of universities in the Middle East and elsewhere and advised a number of governments on their refugee legislation.
Mr Al-Omari received an LLB from Mu-tah University, Jordan, an LLM from Georgetown University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Regugee Studies from the University of Oxford and is currently enrolled for a D.Phil at the University of Oxford.
RAMI SHEHADEH
Rami Shehadeh is a legal advisor with the Negotiations Support Unit of the Negotiations Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. Since October 1999 Mr Shehadeh has been advising the Palestinian team in peace negotiation with Israel on the issues of water and environment as well as on various interim issues. Mr Shehadeh has also been responsible for co-ordinating the Palestinian cooperation with the Sharm El-Sheikh Fact Finding Committee.
Previously Mr Shehadeh served as a legal advisor to the Palestinian human rights organisation. Al-Haq. He received a BA from Bethlehem University, an LLB from the University of Westminster in London and an LLM from the University of Pittsburgh.
VOSSI BEILIN
Born in 1948 in Israel.
After writing as a journalist and editorial board member of "Davar", he received his PhD in political science form Tel-Aviv University and was a scholar in the Tel-Avivi University Institute for the Study of Zionism.
Dr Beilin served as spokesman of the Israel Labour Party from 1977 - 1984. He served as Cabinet Secretary from 1984 - 1986, and as Director-General for Political Affairs of the Foreign Ministry from 1986 - 1988.
He was elected to the Knesset in 1988, and served as Deputy Minister of Finance from 1988 - 1990. He was a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Immigration and Absorption, and Constitution, Law and Justice Committees (1990 - 1992).
From 1992 - 1995 Beilin served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. In July 1995, he was appointed Minister of Economics and Planning.
In November 1995, he was appointed Minister without portfolio in the prime Minister's Office, serving until July 1996.
From 1996-1999 he served as a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence and Constitution, Law and Justice Committees and the Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women.
Yossi Beilin served as Minister of Justice from July 1999 until March 2001, and also held the Religious Affairs portfolio from August 2000.
Beilin has published several books and many articles on Israel's history, the peace process and Jewish affairs. He is the author of Sons in the Shadow of their Fathers, The Price of Unity, Industry in Israel and Israel at Age 40 Plus (all in Hebrew); and Israel, A Concise Political History.
He is married and the father of two. He is divorced now.
AVRAHAM BURG
Avraham Burg, Speaker of the Fifteenth Knesset, was born in Jerusalem in 1955.
Following his military service as an officer in the Paratroops Division, Avraham Burg became one of the leaders of the protest movement against the war in Lebanon. (He was wounded by the hand grenade thrown at the protesters of the peace Now movement in Jerusalem that caused the death of Emil Grunzweig.)
In 1985, he was appointed by then Prime Minister Shimon Peres to serve as his adviser on Diaspora Affairs, a position he continued in until 1988. That year Burg was elected to the Knesset on the Alignment Party List, where he was a prominent member of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, the Finance Committee and the State Control Committee.
Burg was elected to the Knesset once again in 1992, having placed third on the Labour Party list, after the late Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres. Until 1995, he served as Chairman of the Knesset Education and Culture Committee.
In February 1995, Burg was elected Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the World Zionist Organization and, on taking up this potion, resigned from the Knesset. Under Burg's leadership there were significant changes in the structure and role of the National.
Institutions, which began to operate in several new areas, such as the restitution of Jewish property stolen during the Holocaust and the battle for religious pluralism and tolerance among the Jewish people. He stepped down from this position in 1999 to run for the Knesset on the One Israel list, and in July 1999 was elected Speaker of the Knesset.
Avraham Burg's father. Dr Yosef Burg, was a prominent leader of the national Religious Party, who served as Minister in Israeli goverments from the first years of the state until the 1980's.
Burg is married to Yeal, born in France, a psychologist and the principal of a Jerusalem high school. They live with their six children in Nataf, a small, mixed relgious-secular community close to Jerusalem.
NAOMI CHAZAN
Professor of Political Science and African Studies
PhD Hebrew University, 1975
Hebrew University; Lecturer, 1977, Senior Lecture, 1982, Assoc Professor, 1987, Professor, 1994, Chair, Harry S Truman Res Institute for the Advancement of Peace, 1990 - 1992.
other Appointments: Visiting Scholar, Visiting professor, Havard University, Fellow, Redcliffe College, Research Assoc, Boston University, Radchliffe Distinguished Visiting Professor, Radcliffe College: Visiting Professor, University of Ife, Nigeria;
Memberships and Fellowships: Soc of International Development, Member of Knesset, since 1992, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset; Vice-Pres International Political Science Association, since 1991.
Research interests: Comparative politics, African politics, Civil society in Africa, Women and politics.
AMBASSADOR (RET) REUVEN MERHAV
Israle born (1936) Reuven Merhav attended school in Haifa. After military service as an NCO in a paratrooper elite unite during the early fifties, he worked for a year in Kibbutz Devir in the Negev. Between 1957-61 he took Islamic and Middle East related courses in the Institute of Asian and African Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, of which he is a graduate. He later in 1983/4 studied at the graduate School of History at the Tel Avivi University.
From 1961 until 1993 he was in government service, in Israel and abroad. During a diversified career spanning over 30 years he worked in the Prime Minister's office in senior positions (in the Security and Intelligence Community), in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the Ministry of Immigrants Absorption. He was posted abroad in Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Teheran, Beirut and Hong-Kong, specialising in sensitive questions of the extended Middle East and east Asia, and initiating political, economic and scientific contacts with the P.R.C from Hong Kong.
Between 89-91 he served as Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During that period he finalised that Taba agreement with Egypt in 1989, established a semi-official Israeli Mission in Beijing in 1990, and laid the political and administrative foundations for "Operation Solomon" in Ethiopia, which he oversaw to fruition in 1991. In 1992/3 he served as director general of the ministry of Immigrants Absorption, devoting much time and effort to Ethiopian immigrants.
Since 1993 he served on various official and public committees, and on the board (as chair and member) of some academic and public institutions and companies. He devoted a special effort to the Ernek Yezreel Academic College, in which he has served as a founding chairman of the executive committee from 1995 until 2000. A fellow of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies since 1995, he has worked on Jerusalem related issues and played a leading role in a team developing metropolitan and political options for a permanent status agreement in Jerusalem. In that capacity former Prime Minister Barak called him for advice to the July 2000 Camp David Summit.
In 1999 he joined OTRI - the Operations Theory Research Institute (An IDF-Operations Branch organisation) as member and advisor on geo-political subjects.
Merhav is representative of the public in the National Labour Court and is a member of the executive committee of the Council for Peace and Security, a non-partisan, public action group of IDF, Intelligence Community and Foreign Affairs veterans and experts.
He has authored, co-authored and reviewed publications on Jerusalem, Middle East and China-Israel related questions, maintains contacts with various Israeli, Palestinian and overseas institutes. He is occasionally invited by local and foreign media to offer views and commentary on current, regional and international affairs.
He is fluent in Hebrew, English and German, has a working knowledge in French, Arabic and Persian and has basic knowledge of Italian and Turkish.
DR YAIR HIRSCHFELD
Dr Yair Hirschfeld is the Director General of the Tel Avivi based Economic Co-operation foundation (ECF). Co-founded with MK Yossi Beilin in 1990, the ECF aims to develop a comprehensive strategy toward regional peacemaking and reconciliation by pursuing policy planning on issues of permanent status and developing concepts, strategies, and implementation designs supporting Israeli-Arab (Palestinian, Jordanian, and Egyptian) o-operation and co-ordination in political, economic, and social spheres.
Dr Hirshfeld created in December 1992 the Oslo Channel and headed the Israeli team between December 1992 and May 1993. Having developed bridging concepts and obtained support from the Israeli government, as well as the PLO, the unofficial track became official on 20 May 1993, when Dr Hirschfeld joined the official Israeli negotiating team.
In 1994-1995, Dr Hirschfeld was a member of the Israeli team that prepared the first Israeli-Palestinian blue print for the Permanent Status Agreement, that has become know at the "Beilin-Abu Mazen Understanding".
Dr Hirshfeld has developed the concepts and practical structures for the Israeli-Palestinian civil society co-operation and he founded people to people hubs in the fields of health, research, environment and peace education.
DR Hirschfeld was a leading member of the Israeli team that prepared the detailed and agreed upon concept regarding Israeli-Palestinian economic relations under a Permanent Status Agreement. The document was signed by the Israeli and Palestinian teams in November 1998, and its principles were accepted and supported by the World Bank and the IMF.
Dr Hirschfeld played a leading role in creating, in February of 1999. "Co-operation North" - a cross border co-operation structure between the governorate of Jenin in the Northern West Bank and the neighbouring Israeli local councils of Beit Shean, Gilboa and the city of Haifa. "Co-operation North" has become a model of Israeli and Palestinian good neighbourly relations which for the time being, continues to function (in limited fields) even under the present condition of violence.
In 1999-2000 Dr Hirschfeld was a leading member of a trilateral Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian working group on security issues. The findings and the understandings of the group were accepted in the summer of 2000 by King Abdallah of Jordan and Mr Barak, the Prime Minister of Israel and supported by the Palestinian leadership.
Dr Hirschefeld has been a leading member in Israeli Palestinian working groups developing concepts on peaceful solutions of the Jerusalem and Refugees issues. heading the ECF he is involved in crisis management and damage control activities and he has become one of the leading international experts on track two diplomacy.
HAIM ORON
Haim Oron was born in Tel-Aviv in 1940 and is a member of Kibbutz Lahav (near Beersheba). Oron served a secretary of the Hashomer Hatzair movement from 1968-1971, and as later secretary of the movement's leadership. He was a founding member of the peace Now movement. From 1994-1995 he was treasurer of the Histadrut (New General Federation of Labour).
Haim Oron has been a Member of Knesset since 1988. From 1988-92 he was a member of the Finance and State Control Committees. From 1992-96, he served as chairman of the Ethics Committee, and a member of the Knesset, Finance and State Control Committees. From 1996-99 he was Chairman of the Mertz Knesset faction and a member of the Knesset and Finance Committees.
He served as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from August 1999 until his resignation in June 2000. He is married and the father of four.