Newsdream

 was the only audience member at the Arab-Israeli peace summit. If it was at Camp David, I couldn't tell, since we spent all our time in a huge featureless room with a single table in the center. Barak was not there; in his place was a very pretty thirtysomething woman who didn't even seem to be Israeli. She had an aide who said nothing. Clinton was very diplomatically ingratiating to her, offering Israel "any help it might need." This seemed to please her and her aide. Arafat just nodded in silent approval. There didn't appear to be any contentious issues, which surprised me. But even though I was close enough to the participants to touch them, I kept my mouth shut.

The next day there was much pomp and circumstance, and I ended with many of my friends up in the very back row of an enormous balcony overlooking the lavishly-appointed room in which the proceedings were taking place. The audience was huge, and from the balcony the participants were inaudible. I dimly wondered what had become of my special status as the only audience member ...