ABSTRACT

President Clinton and Mubarak were very interested in promoting a formula for the Temple Mount in the hope of moving quickly forward toward concluding the package. The precondition was an agreement on Jerusalem. A small summit was considered for the following week in New York. The American effort focused on convening a full summit – for conclusion and signature – by November 15. From now on, each of the sides would work with the Americans. The problem with this format was that the positions of the sides would harden. Each side knew that it must present a position that the “fair mediator” would have to “wear down” even before it was presented to the other side. Moreover, if negotiations were to suddenly stop, each side would want the remaining documentation to leave as much room as possible for future flexibility with the resumption of negotiations.