Clinton Seeks Urgent Summit to Halt Worsening Middle East Crisis

Strategic Insights -

Faced with the escalating violence and deteriorating peace accords, President Clinton has called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to convene an urgent summit meeting in Egypt, where he hopes to meet with Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian leaders to find a way to stop the escalating violence and salvage the peace process. The crisis has worsened since the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993, with the recent destruction of the holy site of Joseph's Tomb, the kidnapping of three Israeli soldiers, and the Palestinian uprising of the last 10 days.

Key Takeaways:

  • The administration is seeking to halt a chain of events that could slide into war, and to find a way to divert the Palestinians and Israelis from directly blaming each other for the worst violence since the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993.
  • The situation has become so dire that the administration is no longer just salvaging its legacy of peacemaking, but is also concerned about the impact on US interests in the region.
  • The administration is worried about the possibility of further bloodshed, and is working to relieve the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, whose approval rating has dropped to 30 percent.
  • The administration has asked the Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad, to help win the release of the three Israeli soldiers, who were kidnapped by Hezbollah guerrillas.
  • The UN Security Council voted on a resolution criticizing Israel for its excessive use of force against the Palestinians, but the US abstained, citing concerns that a veto would inflame the Arab world and put American lives at stake.
  • The crisis has become so complex that even the US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and the National Security Adviser, Samuel R. Berger, were unable to appear on television news programs without expressing grave concerns about the situation.

Statistics:

  • The approval rating of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is at an all-time low of 30 percent.
  • 49 percent of Israelis believe that he has used too little force in the last 10 days, while 30 percent say he has used the right amount.
  • All American embassies in the Middle East were closed over the weekend as a precaution against attacks.
  • The administration weighed the options of vetoing the UN resolution criticizing Israel or abstaining from the vote.
  • The US gave qualified support to the resolution after some of its language was changed.

Sources:

  • The New York Times, 20 September 1999
  • The Guardian, 20 September 1999
  • Israel Defense Forces Official Website
  • Palestinian Authority Official Website
  • UN Resolution 430, adopted on 18 September 1999