Thursday, May 23, 2002

Dovish Camp David negotiator Shlomo Ben-Ami cogently argues against the frequently discussed proposals for "unilateral separation" from the Palestinians. Unilateral separation would fail, he believes, because the Palestinian entity would attain international recognition while putting itself on a full footing for violent confrontation.

He thinks that picking up negotiations where they left off, or entering into a long transitional period, are similarly unworkable. Unlike many who offer "peace plans", Ben-Ami says that his own ideas of returning to the Camp David framework (with heavy international involvement) are "detached from the present day political reality".

I'm not an admirer of Ben-Ami, but his account of the Camp David talks are fascinating.

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