The London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority

The one-day meeting held in London on March 1 to mobilize global support for the Palestinian Authority was a fallback position for the participants, many of whom would have much preferred a full-blown international conference to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians. But when British Prime Minister Tony Blair traveled to Washington immediately after the reelection of George W. Bush in November, it was made clear to him that the American administration opposed such an ambitious venture as long as the conditions were not yet ripe. Absent American endorsement, not to speak of Israeli willingness to take part, a peace conference was totally impractical.