Sharm El Sheikh Memorandum

Signed in Egypt in September 1999, stipulating additional Israeli withdrawals of 11 percent of the West Bank in three stages, a release of 350 Palestinian prisoners, the creation of a safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and construction of the Gaza seaport. The agreement was never implemented, and US President Bill Clinton sought to shortcut negotiations by holding the Camp David summit in July 2000. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat could not come to agreement on final-status issues, and both Israeli and US officials blamed Palestinians when the talks failed. The result was that in September 2000, the Second Intifada broke out, and hardliner Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel in 2001.