
Labor party leader Ehud Barak was elected Prime Minister of Israel
in 1999. Shortly thereafter the idea of convening a Camp David style
summit meeting between Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman
Arafat under President Clinton’s auspices began to take shape.
At the negotiations, which convened at Camp David in July 2000,
Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians 90-91 percent of the West Bank
territories, an offer unprecedented in its generosity. However,
two main stumbling blocks, the fate of Jerusalem, particularly that
of Temple Mount and the right of return for Palestinian refugees
proved too difficult to resolve. Arafat demanded that Israel agree
unconditionally to the right of return of every refugee who so desired
and rejected any compromise on Jerusalem. After 14 days of intensive
talks Clinton concluded with regret that the sides were not able
to reach and agreement, and sided publicly with Barak. He praised
the Israeli Prime Minister for his flexibility and chided Arafat
for his lack of it.
More under Zionist Concepts...
See Activities, Resources and Links from:
1. Israel & the Palestinians: The Test of Leadership
http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/actual/conflict/oct2000.html
2. Israel & the Palestinians: hadracha guidance, questions
http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/actual/conflict/hadracha.html
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