Word: sadat
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Begin conceded that Egypt was not claiming sovereignty over Gaza and added that he was not now preparing to pursue his own claims of sovereignty over the occupied land in the West Bank and Gaza. This concession did not satisfy Sadat. He maintained that neither Israel nor Jordan could claim sovereignty over the West Bank; self-determination by its residents was the only measure of sovereignty and would lead ultimately to a Palestinian state. In his opinion, such a state should not be independent or have military forces, but should be linked to Israel or Jordan. His preference was Jordan...
...cameras were on and what his wife might think. Another outburst of laughter came during an argument about which one of them was responsible for the hashish trade through the Sinai between Israel and Egypt. Still, we adjourned under considerable strain. Begin expressed his complete confidence in Sadat. Conspicuously, Sadat did not make a similar statement...
These differences shaped the negotiating technique I developed in the days ahead, and eventually opened up the road to an agreement. I would draft a proposal I considered reasonable, take it to Sadat for quick approval or slight modification, and then spend hours or days working on the same point with the Israeli delegation. Sometimes, in the end, the change of a word or phrase would satisfy Begin...
...controversial issue, I never consulted Sadat's aides but always went directly to their leader. It soon became obvious, however, that Dayan, Weizman or Attorney General Aharon Barak could be convinced on an issue more quickly than the Prime Minister, and they were certainly more effective in changing Begin's mind than I ever was. More important was the bottom
...arguments. Begin immediately went back to his desire to avoid the difficult problems. He said that regarding the Sinai issues, including settlements and airfields, we should turn the problem over to the military leaders, who could resolve the differences and report back to the heads of government for approval. Sadat quickly replied that this would be a complete waste of time. Without specific direction from the top, there would be no way that his Defense Minister could negotiate for Egypt...