When Enemies Dare to Talk

Conference in Israel 1978

In September 1978 while the Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and US President Jimmy Carter discussed the future of the Middle East at Camp David a less publicised but equally significant conference was held in Israel. This conference, the first of its kind, brought together prominent representatives in both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, not to make resolutions, but to strip away the elements of propaganda surrounding the problem and aim for greater understanding of each other’s position, problems and aspirations. It allowed the views of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank on their future to be heard and despite the differences that emerged, it revealed an intense commitment to peaceful co-existence without occupation amongst participants from both sides.

Publication of the Proceedings

This book, originally published in 1979 published the full text of the proceedings, preserving the form of the spoken word and as such it remains a key document in the political history of this fractured region.