The Failure of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process in 2000-2001 - Was Arafat to Blame?

Sep 22, 2026

This essay investigates whether Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was responsible for the breakdown of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in 2000-2001 under the Clinton administration. It reviews the negotiations’ progress, the situation on the ground, and the key issues under discussion, while examining the roles of major actors including Clinton, Barak, and Arafat. Using primary and secondary sources, it argues Israelis and Palestinians came close to a final agreement in January 2001 and that exclusive blame on Arafat was unjust.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Oslo Peace Process 1993-2000

Barak and the Israeli Government

Arafat and the Palestinian Authority

The Camp David Talks, 11-24 July 2000

Outbreak of the Second Intifada

Sweden, the Clinton 'Bridging Proposals and Taba

Conclusion

Maps

Map 1

Map 2

Map 3

Sources

Note on Sources

Bibliography

The Failure of the lsraeli-Palestinian Peace Process in 2000-2001:Was Arafat to Blame? The Failure of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process in 2000-2001:Was Arafat to Blame? Subject:Politics Word Count:3984 50 Excellent Extended Essays The Failure of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process in 2000-2001:Was Arafat to Blame? Abstract This Essay poses the question,of whether Palestinian leader,Yasser Arafat was to blame for the failure of the Israeliand Palestinian Peace Process under the Clinton Administration and aims to answer it The Essay reviews: -the progress of the peace process at that time and the situation on the ground -the key issues being negotiated -the roles of the key players,Clinton,Barak and Arafat -what went so badly wrong with the peace negotiations;and -who or what was primarily responsible for the failure. The Essay argues that Israelis and Palestinians came extremely close to concluding a final peace agreement inJanuary 2001,more so than is often appreciated.It looks at why the efforts to secure that vital peace failed.Inaddressing the issue of who-if anyone-was to blame for this failure,evidence is provided to support the argumentthat Arafat was unfairly targeted for exclusive blame and that other players and issues contributed in a significant wayto the failure of the peace process at that time. In terms of methodology,efforts were made to examine the topic from both the Palestinian and Israeli point of view,using both primary and secondary sources.In terms of primary sources,I have drawn extensively on my ownexperience of living in Jerusalem for three years from the beginning of 2000 and my first hand (if very youthful)experience of the situation on the ground and the conflict.I have had the benefit of being able to interview mymother,who was the Irish Representative to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah,as well as her colleague,the IrishAmbassador to Israel at the time,Ambassador Brendan Scannell.Both were briefed on a regular basis respectively bythe Palestinian and Israeli negotiators involved in the talks as wellas by some of the US mediators and followed theprogress of the negotiations in detail.I have also talked to diplomats at the Israeli Embassy and the PalestinianDelegation here in Dublin to hear their perspective on the events of 2000/01.Not surprisingly,the viewpoints ofIsraelis and Palestinians are very different and these differences are hopefully reflected in the Essay,but I haveattempted to reach some objective conclusions,based on the evidence.Details of secondary sources drawn uponappear in the Note on Sources and Bibliography at the end but,of particular value,were the published accounts of thesome of the key figures who participated in the negotiations including President Clinton,his chief negotiator,DennisRoss,his Special Assistant for Israeli-Arab Affairs,Robert Malley and Secretary of State,Madeleine Albright,whothemselves have different interpretations of some of the events and interviews with Israeli and Palestinian participants The Failure of the lsraeli-Palestinian Peace Process in 2000-2001:Was Arafat to Blame? Acknowledgements ·To Mrs.Mahoney for her guidance and support as my supervisor. ·To my mother,the Irish diplomatic Representative to the PA at the time,for the invaluable informationand insight she shared with me ● To Ambassador Brendan Scannell for the time and detailed analysis he gave me ·To the diplomats in the Israeli Embassy and Palestinian Delegation in Dublin who providedinformation and responded to my questions 50 Excellent Extended Essays The Failure of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process in 2000-2001: Was Arafat to Blame? Table of Contents Title Page……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………p.1 Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2 Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………p.3 Contents………………………………………………………………………

FAQs

What central question does the essay ask?

Whether Yasser Arafat was to blame for the failure of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in 2000-2001 under the Clinton administration.

Which aspects does the essay review about the negotiations?

It reviews the peace process’s progress, the on-the-ground situation, the key issues being negotiated, and the roles of major players including Clinton, Barak, and Arafat.

What does the essay conclude about responsibility for the failure?

It argues that Arafat was unfairly targeted for exclusive blame and that other players and issues also contributed significantly to the failure.

Sep 22, 2026

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