Camp David 2000 Until Today: Clayton Swisher
- 13 years ago
Clayton Swisher is currently based in Doha with Al Jazeera and has extensively covered the Arab-Israeli conflict. A former federal investigator now working as a journalist, he is the author of the book “The Truth About Camp David” which is based on eyewitness accounts from more than 40 participants at the summit.
Clayton Swisher challenges the traditional narrative of the Camp David talks which blames Palestinian intransigence and Arafat’s rejection of Ehud Barak’s “generous offer” for the failure of the peace process. Focusing instead on the U.S and Israeli role at Camp David, Swisher examines how the dynamics of the U S negotiating team were essentially pro-Israeli and far from the honest broker image which was promoted. Swisher puts the blame for the failure of Camp David on the Israelis and the Clinton administration, arguing that internal U.S politics and favouritism of Israeli demands undermined the talks. The blame placed on Arafat by Clinton was not only a breach of his promise but also cost the PA legitimacy which they could never recover.
Clayton Swisher challenges the traditional narrative of the Camp David talks which blames Palestinian intransigence and Arafat’s rejection of Ehud Barak’s “generous offer” for the failure of the peace process. Focusing instead on the U.S and Israeli role at Camp David, Swisher examines how the dynamics of the U S negotiating team were essentially pro-Israeli and far from the honest broker image which was promoted. Swisher puts the blame for the failure of Camp David on the Israelis and the Clinton administration, arguing that internal U.S politics and favouritism of Israeli demands undermined the talks. The blame placed on Arafat by Clinton was not only a breach of his promise but also cost the PA legitimacy which they could never recover.