Former Israeli Defense Minister recounts 1996 Palestinian violence and failed cease‑fire negotiations

Former Israeli Defense Minister recounts 1996 Palestinian violence and failed cease‑fire negotiations The passage provides a first‑person account of violent incidents and diplomatic exchanges involving high‑level officials (Israeli Defense Minister, President Clinton, Yasser Arafat, King Abdullah, UN Secretary‑General). It mentions specific dates, locations, and actions (e.g., attack helicopters, destruction of Ramallah police station) that could be cross‑checked with archival records, but it offers no new documentary evidence, financial data, or concrete leads to wrongdoing beyond the narrative of failed peace talks. Key insights: October 7, 1996 attack on a synagogue site after Palestinian police took over the cordon.; Subsequent murder of an Israeli reservist in Ramallah and brutal mob violence.; Israeli response: deployment of attack helicopters and destruction of Ramallah police station and militia base.