Jerusalem-forum@wanadoo.jo

Peace Proposals

Israeli and Palestinian leaders signed a land-for-peace deal on Friday, October 23, 1998 that restored momentum to the Middle East peace process after a 19-month deadlock and handed U.S President Bill Clinton a diplomatic triumph. The signing of the accord by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat capped nine days of arduous negotiations that nearly foundered at the last minute over a dispute on the fate of Jailed spy Jonathan Pollard. “In the end, after all the twists and turns and ups and downs, all their late and ultimately sleepless nights, both reaffirmed their commitment to the path of peace,” President Clinton said at the White House ceremony. “And for that, the world can be grateful,” he said.

The eleventh-hour glitch, which forced the White House to delay the signing ceremony over four hours, was resolved after His Majesty King Hussein appealed to Netanyahu not to link Pollard’s release to the interim peace accord. King Hussein and Clinton were co-signatories of the accord called the Wye River Memorandum. Clinton announced that he would travel to the Palestinian territories to attend the meeting of the Palestine National Council that will be called to vote on the changes in the charter of PLO and to scrap provisions that call for the destruction of Israel. The U.S.-brokered peace plan to end a 19-month stalemate had been under discussion for more than a year but only came into form during the marathon talks in Washington D.C. mediated by Clinton and his foreign policy team.

Clinton opened the summit at the secluded Wye River Conference Center in Eastern Maryland on October 15 and returned at least six times to the site to press Netanyahu and Arafat to finalize the deal. In the final push to get Netanyahu and Arafat to overcome remaining obstacles, Clinton invited King Hussein who has played a past role in easing tensions between the two men, to join the talks. King Hussein who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer, received a standing ovation at the ceremony and praise from Clinton who said: “The Jordanian Monarch was at the heart of the diplomatic breakthrough. His courage, commitment, wisdom and, frankly, stern instruction at certain times, were at the heart of this success. Every time he was in the room, he made us all become a little closer to the people we all would like to see ourselves as being”.

Netanyahu, seated to Clinton’s left, leaned across the U.S leader to acknowledge King Hussein, who beamed as he shook each of the principal’s hands. And in his remarks, the Israeli leader thanked King Hussein, who he said: “Gave us an unforgettable and inspiring example of courage and humanity. And it moved me deeply. It moved every one of our people and our delegates deeply”.

Arafat, in turn stressed he wished to “send this tribute from my heart to his Majesty King Hussein for his efforts, even though he has very special health concerns.”

King Hussein, in turn, reserved his highest praise for Clinton, Underlining his ties to the United States since the 1950’s, King Hussein stressed to Clinton that “on the subject of peace, the peace we are seeking, I have never-- with all due respect and all the affection that I have for your predecessors-- have known someone with your dedication, clear-headedness, focus and determination”.

September 19, 1999

Professor Dr. Ahmad Tell, of Jordanian origin, is Dean of Zarka Private National Community College in Zarka, Jordan. In 1980 he received an Award of Distinction from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. He is the author of several books and publications: Higher Education in Jordan , published in 1997, including Abdullah Tell, the Hero and Why Did the Arabs Fail?, both of which are currently under print. Dr.Tell also wrote a research paper about the former Prime Minister Samir Rifai and the Palestinian cause in 1997.

Dr.Tell was an officer in the Arab Legion from 1946-1950 and fought in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948.