Summary
The October 1991 comprehensive peace conference convened by the Bush administration, in Perceptions of Palestine’s account the first such conference attended by all parties to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the first at which Palestinians participated in peace negotiations at any level; its mere fact altered the U.S. frame in fundamental ways, Palestinians being seen to a far greater degree as reasonable people with legitimate aspirations, although the administration lost interest once the procedural goal of convening it was achieved (Perceptions of Palestine, lines 2444-2451, 2702-2704).
Details
- Baker made eight shuttle missions to organise the conference, meeting Palestinians including Hanan Ashrawi in a series of eighteen meetings, and obtained agreement even on the shape of the table by deciding what he thought was fair and imposing it (lines 2684).
- The Palestinian delegation was headed by Haidar Abd al-Shafi; the press seemed to discover the Palestinians for the first time, Time reporting their “image of intelligence, professionalism and sensitivity” and CNN their “unexpected dignity” (lines 2694-2696).
- Immediately after the conference broke up into separate bilateral groups, Baker and the administration lost interest and resumed a low-key, no-U.S.-intervention policy (lines 2710).
Related pages
Perceptions of Palestine, George Bush, James Baker, Haidar Abd al-Shafi, Hanan Ashrawi, Oslo Accords