Patrons, Clients and Shepherds: The Sharm al-Shaykh Summit

The Arab-Israeli peace process has witnessed any number of summit meetings. Some of these produced concrete results; others, like the Casablanca economic summit in 1994 and the “anti-terrorism” summit in Sharm al-Shaykh in March 1996 were more fluff than substance. The failure of the Camp David summit in July 2000 and the subsequent descent into four years of violence have left both protagonists and observers wary of summit diplomacy, let alone “historic” breakthroughs. Nevertheless, this past week witnessed yet another “show,” designed to take advantage of developments in recent months in order to ameliorate the situation on the ground. The immediate purpose was to help Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) consolidate his leadership and begin rebuilding the shattered Palestinian Authority, and to ensure that Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan from Gaza and the northern West Bank will be coordinated with the PA, retain the international community’s seal of approval, and facilitate further diplomatic efforts.