Yasser Arafat (L), US President Bill Clinton (C) and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak meet during the Sharm el-Sheikh Conference, October 17, 2000.
Oct. 17, 2000
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Players: Convened by President Clinton and hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, it was attended by PLO Chairman and PA President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak
Agenda: The second Palestinian intifadah uprising began soon after the Camp David failure, creating an increasingly violent and dangerous situation between Israel and the PA. President Clinton brought the two sides together in the hope of resuming security cooperation and peace talks.
Outcome: Israel and the PA agreed to resume bilateral security cooperation, with Israel agreeing to ease restrictions on Palestinian life. Promises were made by both sides to curb violence. Despite initial reluctance by Israel, agreement was also reached to create a U.S. presidential commission to investigate the causes of the post-Camp David upsurge in violence and to make recommendations. This resulted in the commission headed for retired U.S. Senator George Mitchell, which reported its findings in the Spring of 2001.
—Ceri Au