Taba Summit

The Taba Summit was a series of talks between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority. While ultimately unsuccessful, these talks came closer to achieving a "final status" resolution than any prior or subsequent negotiations. The talks were of critical importance to Bill Clinton, who saw them as the culmination of his final efforts as President of the United States to encourage peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The talks ended with a joint statement declaring that considerable progress had been made, despite the fact that they found a final resolution an impossibility. However, shortly after Ehud Barak issued a statement that the agreements reached during the Taba Summit were not binding on future Israeli governments, effectively negating the progress that had been made. Fast Facts:
1. Took place from January 21, 2001 to January 27, 2001
2. Held in Taba, on the Sinai Peninsula
3. Goal was "final status" in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
4. Conclusion of Bill Clinton's peacemaking efforts as United States president
5. The talks were initially considered a success
Key Issues:
1. Disputed territories, specifically The West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem
2. The Palestinian Refugee crisis and Right of Return
3. Security issues
Results and Effectiveness:
1. No formal resolution was found
2. Still, considered a success for the progress made on the issues
3. At the time, considered an important step to rebuilding trust between the parties
4. On February 8, 2001 Ehud Barak made a formal statement that agreements made at Taba were not binding on future Israeli governments
5. Many think that the talks ran out of "political time," taking place immediately before political changeovers in Israel and the United States