Results for “The Gaza Strip”

…I knew that he would press me to tell him how far that actually was. He didn’t ask directly. But each of his ostensibly theoretical questions was aimed at establishing whether I could give him enough for a summit to bridge the gaps on key issues. Could I accept a “trade-off betwe...

Hamas needs genuine regime change in Egypt. The new regime it needs is not a liberal democracy but one in which Islamist forces supportive of Hamas

/ BARAK / 98 in legal and diplomatic terms, null and void. The package Arafat had ultimately rejected had not even been presented by me. It was an American proposal. Besides, it was obvious no serious negotiations were going to happen anyway for the foreseeable future. Arik, how...

/ BARAK / 45 responsibility to support the other. With President Clinton looking on, I steered Arafat toward the window of the ambassador’s fifth-floor apartment. “Look down,” I said. “Imagine that we each have parachutes, and we’re going to jump together. But I have my hand on...

questions on the past and future of the Israeli-Palestinian problem. FP: What were your best and worst moments in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and what was the greatest missed opportunity? Saeb Erekat: Though I was not the chief negotiator at that moment, the connectio...

…t of view.” It was for me as well. In fact, I think its religious significance probably resonated more strongly. Still, the major change from the summit was that even those Israelis who found a compromise on Jerusalem unacceptable recognized that, if they did want to negotiate a...

/ BARAK / 97 summit, we responded. The only, brief, lull came when Arafat feared the Americans would cancel his scheduled visit to Washington to see Clinton on November 9. I was due to follow him three days later. I met Clinton and Dennis Ross over dinner in a little kitchen ar...

/ BARAK / 60 would agree to make them part of a Palestinian state. The second principle was that “Jerusalem will remain united.” It would not be cut into Jewish and Arab halves as had happened between 1948 and 1967. That, I knew, might prove tougher to carry through on. But even...

Hamas is the government of Gaza -- and terrorism helped them get there. And with the fall of Mubarak and the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as an important political actor there

…stand ready to defend Israeli soldiers and commanders who have been falsely accused of killing Palestinian civilians in their efforts to protect Israeli civilians from terrorist rocket attacks. In 2011

/ BARAK / 2 cabinet meeting the day before, by reviving an idea I’d supported under Rabin: to build a security fence all along the edge of the West Bank, with a series of controlled crossing points for people and goods. Yitzhak had said no at the time, because he was worried it...

physically from the weeks of tension, Yitzhak had asked him to take over. He’d said no. But he said he’d always believed he could and should have been chief- of-staff— and that if he hadn’t left to go into politics, he still might have got the job. Then, suddenly, he shouted: “Re...

/ BARAK / 144 was off the agenda. The diplomatic process with the Palestinians was stalemated. I could see no point in remaining in the government. Like my last period in Olmert’s government, my final few months were dominated by finding a way to end Hamas attacks from Gaza. Du...

…Saddam’s Scud launchers were likely to be a lot more important than tank formations in future conflicts. Six days into the job, I called together every officer in the army, from the rank of lieutenant-colonel up. I said we needed to remind ourselves of the army’s purpose: to pro...

…sought my help, which I was pleased to give. Eventually, he was cleared of all charges and continued to practice law in the newly united Germany. Human rights in Israel A human rights case that surely tested my commitment to universal rights involved an Arab-Israeli who was acc...