Camp David Accords - Conciliation - Shuttle Diplomacy
Posted by Site Staff on Sunday February 17, 2008
This supplement to volume #1, issue #1 of escape litigation adds to the ongoing mission of this newsletter. Details of conciliation will be further discussed in later issues. In this supplement we explore the creativity of this Alternative Dispute Resolution modality. It is important to understand the positions and attitudes of Prime Minister Menacham Begin, Prime minister of the State of Israel, Anwar Sadat, President of the Arab Country of Egypt and President Jimmy Carter of the United States during the years 1997-1998.
Prime Minister Begin had been a soldier, mainly underground, fighting for the freedom of the Jewish people in Poland, Russia and throughout the mid-east while fighting for the establishment of the State of Israel.
President Sadat had been a life long soldier in the Egyptian army and the closest politician and right hand man to President Nassar of Egypt. Both men had seen a lot of war between the two countries. Some believe that Menacham Begin was a terrorist. President James Carter was a strong believer in Alternative Dispute Resolution with emphasis on international conflict. There was a lot of animosity between the two leaders of Israel and Egypt.
The economic status of Egypt was poor and getting poorer as a result of the political and wars between the countries; this was not doing Israel any good either. Both Begin and Sadat recognized that peace was the best way to proceed, however where and how does one move towards this goal? President Anwar Sadat in a gutsy, brilliant maneuver announces that he would, if asked, speak to the Israeli Knesset (its’ governing body) in Israel. Menacham Begin learning of this immediately invites President Sadat to speak to the Knesset in Israel (Jerusalem). In Sadat’s speech to the Governing Body he makes it clear the best and most intelligent course is peace between the two countries and that he would go anywhere to obtain same. President James Carter (USA) being apprised of these latest events invites both President Sadat and Minister Begin to Camp David, Maryland for peace talks.
The problem for President Carter is to create talks with no opportunity for the parties to argue and vent their hatred of one another, yet allow a path enabling talks to proceed on a good faith, substantial basis for peace. Conciliation is chosen as the Alternative Dispute Resolution modality to best fit the bill.
President Carter arranges for the two men to be quartered in separate housing units (in reality just a few feet from one another). Teams of low level and high level diplomats are brought to the Camp to assist the parties in not only communications between the two, but for clarification of issues and brainstorming. There will be no face to face negotiations or conversations between the parties, leaving out emotions, venting or arguing. The parties proceed for twelve days. Back and forth in a paper process birthing ideas, options, plans and peace approaches between the men. This was by no means easy as President Carter had to edit, revise and remove options and ideas not tenable. He did this by checking each written communication between the parties. There were one or two meetings between the parties which were not successful as a result of animosity and disdain.
Almost all the working time was carried on through communication by written documents and “Shuttle Diplomacy”. President Carter did sit with each man, separately, on a few occasions which were not successful, and were difficult. These talks were held at Camp David Between September 10, 1978 and September 17, 1978. On September 17, 1978 THE CAMP DAVID PEACE ACCORDS were finalized with the parties satisfied that peace would exist between Israel and Egypt. To this day those accords stand fast.
To review the Accords please go to:
The Jewish Virtual Library,A Framework for Peace in the Middle East Agreed at Camp David (Draft) http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/carterplan.html (2008)
