The Role of the Middle East Quartet in the Israeli – Palestinian Negotiation Process

ABSTRACT: The Middle East Quartet - Madrid Quartet - is one of the most significant international players that played a substantial role in an attempt to bring the Israelis and the Palestinians at the negotiating table in order to solve the endless dispute between them. The Quartet had been comprised of a combination of state actors (the United States, the Russian Federation) and non-state actors (the United Nations and the European Union). The formation of the Quartet followed the outbreak of the second (Intifada). There are lots of unilateral and multilateral roles and efforts played by the Quartet members to solve the dispute. Some of these efforts faced failures and some efforts had made noticeable changes in the way that negotiations are being held. The Quartet has practiced the multilateral negotiations in the Israeli - Palestinian talks. Thus, this research will focus on studying the experience of the Quartet as an international mediator in these negotiations, their attempts to bring the two sides to the negotiation table and find a solution for the dispute. It will also explore the missions and the goals of the Quartet. In addition, this research will determine whether the policy followed by Quartet is an effective one with significant noticeable benefits while concentrating on the unilateral and multilateral roles played by the Quartet’s members. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………