Camp David Summit - What Went Wrong?

Shimon Shamir, Professor Emeritus of Middle Eastern History, is former Israeli Ambassador to Egypt; first Israeli Ambassador to Jordan; and current Head of The Institute for Diplomacy and Regional Cooperation, Tel Aviv University. Bruce Maddy-Weitzman is a Senior Research Fellow at the Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.

• Messsage from President Bill Clinton. OPENING PRESENTATIONS -- The Enigma of Camp David; The Failure of Camp David: Four Different Narratives; There Could Have Been Another Way; Camp David in the Context of US Peace Strategy. ISRAELI NEGOTIATORS -- Background, Process and Failure; The Roles of Barak, Arafat and Clinton; Factors That Impeded the Negotiations; Lessons from the Camp David Experience. PALESTINIAN PERSPECTIVES -- Wrong Assumptions; The Israeli Proposals Were Not Serious; The 'Blaming Game is Wrong. AMERICAN PARTICIPANTS -- The Effects of the 'Syria First' Strategy; Sins of Omission, Sins of Commission; American Mistakes and Israeli Misconceptions. THE BARAK VERSION -- The Myths Spread About Camp David Are Baseless; The Lines of 1967 Should Have Been the Basis for Negotiations; The Strategy of Creating Facts on the Ground Impeded Negotiations. THE INPUT OF EXPERTS -- Planning for Jerusalem; The Role of Informal Talks; Track II Plans. ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVES -- An Irresolvable Conflict or Lack of Ripeness?; The 'End of Conflict' Obstacle; The Pitfalls of Summit Diplomacy; Psychological Barriers to Negotiations. ROUNDTABLE -- Past, Present and Future -- A Political Debate.