Word: baraker
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Would they ever? Arafat returned to a hero's welcome in the Gaza Strip, where thousands cheered him for not giving up Jerusalem. Barak stepped off his plane at Tel Aviv with what he admitted was a "sour heart" and with the worry of a crumbling government coalition...
...well perhaps were Clinton's dreams: a final foreign policy triumph, the chance, maybe, to preside over a showy ceremony establishing a Palestinian state, maybe even breaking ground for a U.S. embassy in West Jerusalem, a prospect Clinton raised again at week's end in an effort to boost Barak's support at home. But this time, "they couldn't get there," Clinton acknowledged after the talks. He placed most of the blame on Arafat. A more flexible Barak had come to the summit showing "courage, vision and an understanding of the historical importance of this moment," the President said...
...didn't want to be at Camp David just now, still believing he'd already compromised enough and wary of dickering anymore over principles he held sacred. "I'm not a negotiator, I'm a decision maker," Arafat told an aide before boarding his jet for the U.S. While Barak showed up with a headful of new ideas on how to resolve thorny issues like boundaries for a new Palestinian state and the number of Palestinian refugees allowed to return to their homes, Arafat spent the first four days delivering monologues. When he wouldn't look at a map Barak...
Stunned, Arafat began bending, but not much. He still balked at joining Barak in considering American proposals for how control of Jerusalem might be divided. Clinton phoned Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia--recipients of billions in U.S. aid--but their leaders not only refused to pressure the Palestinian, they also urged him to stand firm. Barak and Arafat began playing "luggage diplomacy," ordering aides to put bags outside doors to threaten walkouts. By Wednesday night, July 19, even Clinton was ready to close down the talks, but at the last minute Barak and Arafat decided to remain at Camp David...
...Monday night, however, it was clear that Barak and Arafat wouldn't move further until they knew what they would have to give up on Jerusalem. Clinton presented a compromise, which Barak approved if Arafat accepted: Israel would have sovereignty over West Jerusalem and much of East Jerusalem, but the Palestinians would run municipal services in East Jerusalem and have formal sovereignty over some of its neighborhoods. The Palestinians would also control Muslim holy sites...