Summary
U.S. president whose administration, in Perceptions of Palestine’s account, operated mostly according to the old Israel-centered Frame of reference despite closer ties with Palestinians than any previous president: his emphasis was always on the process of peacemaking rather than on substance, he consistently allowed Israel to set the starting point, agenda and pace of negotiations under Dennis Ross, and he failed in the end to bring the process to a successful conclusion because his administration’s principal focus was satisfying Israel’s security needs rather than addressing both sides (Perceptions of Palestine, lines 2752-2760, 2926-2936, 3052-3058).
Details
- Clinton, a Southern Baptist, felt the biblical affinity for Israel that many predecessors felt; his team generally had an Israeli Labor Party orientation, and officials were openly chagrined when Peres was defeated by Netanyahu in May 1996 (lines 2752-2756).
- He received Arafat thirteen times in the White House, more than any other world leader, was sequestered for nine days at Wye in 1998 and two weeks at the Camp David summit in 2000, and released end-of-term proposals — the first U.S. position on the major issues — only too late (lines 2926-2928, 2930-2934).
- He appears to have had genuine empathy for both sides, for the “tremendous pain” Palestinians experience under occupation and the “profound desire of Israelis to live without fear”, but his emotional identity with Israel was far stronger, and the sentiments he expressed in Gaza in December 1998 were never reiterated (lines 2990-2994).
- In the final months he criticised Palestinians for “socializing hostility”: “talks must be accompanied by acts—acts which show trust and partnership” (lines 2968-2970).
Related pages
Perceptions of Palestine, Dennis Ross, Martin Indyk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Camp David Summit, 2000, Oslo Accords