(PASSIA)

Six months after Camp David, there was reason for hope when, in December 2000, President Clinton issued "parameters" for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: Israeli withdrawal from 94-96% of the West Bank, Palestinians to be compensated with land from Israel, and sovereignty in Jerusalem to be divided along ethno-religious lines. Both the Palestinians and the Israelis accepted the parameters, although each with reservations.

Representatives of the two parties met in Taba, Egypt, in January, 2001, and closed a number of gaps between their respective positions. Israeli elections were impending, however, and the negotiations were unilaterally suspended by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Nonetheless, the two delegations issued a joint statement saying that they had never been closer to a final resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that all that was needed was more time to finalize a deal.