Camp David II: The Summit That Failed

After more than two weeks of intense negotiations, the summit meeting convened by President Clinton at Camp David between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Yasir Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, has ended without reaching an agreement to resolve more than a half-century of conflict in the Middle East.

It is clear that President Clinton involved himself deeply in the talks, which often ran virtually around the clock. The main sticking point apparently was the future status of Jerusalem, which has historic and religious significance to both Jews and Muslims. The Israelis and Palestinians blame each other for the lack of agreement.

Brookings’ foreign policy experts Richard N. Haass and Shibley Telhami will provide analyses of the failed talks, addressing such questions as: why the talks collapsed without agreement; who was responsible for the failure; the outlook for renewed violence in the region; the political pressures at home on both Arafat and Barak; and prospects for renewed peace negotiations.