聖都エルサレムの国際化 : 中東和平の基礎として : 1947年国際連合総会決議181号(II)を再評価する

The dawn of the twenty-first century was met with feeling of apprehension and disillusionment among those hoping for lasting peace in the Middle East. With armed clashes between Israelis and Palestinians intensifying since 2001, escalating into what the mass media described as a state of “mini-war," the future can no longer be regarded with optimism. In a last-ditch effort as a peace broker before his eight-year term expired, United States President Bill Clinton welcomed Prime Minister Ehud Barak of Israel and Ra'ees (President ) Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority (PA) on July 11, 2000 to Camp David, the presidential mountain retreat in Mainland, where the first Israeli-Arab rapprochement had been achieved 22 years before. This time, however, no historical milestone could be reached. The parties to the triumvirate summit conference discussed the “permanent status" of Jerusalem and other important issues in a charged atmosphere of high anticipation, but the conference ended inconclusively. Clinton admitted that peace talks were in a stalemate “at this time." However, he was unable to sponsor new summit talks during the reminder of his term, and the target date of September 13, 2000 for finalizing a permanent status agreement on the West Bank (including Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip between the Israeli government and the autonomous Palestinian Authority passed without a deal being struck. Arafat repeatedly insisted prior to this date that he would declare the establishment of a Palestinian state on September 13 whether the Camp David meeting succeeded or not. But he refrained from making a proclamation of independence on that date, allegedly due to strong pressure from Clinton. Many Palestinians voiced disappointment and frustration, which soon erupted into violence. The issue of Jerusalem, as many had predicted, proved to be an insurmountable obstacle in the Barak-Arafat negotiations. It may now take many years before Israel and Palestine can restore mutual credibility. Restarting negotiati