World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 1997

In early February 1997 at Davos, the World Economic Forum served as the backdrop for one of the more unexpected yet symbolically powerful Middle East encounters: a meeting between Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Though their engagement was brief and largely informal—held on the sidelines of the official summit—it carried immense political and symbolic weight. Just weeks after Netanyahu’s government authorized the partial redeployment of Israeli forces from Hebron (pursuant to the Hebron Protocol signed on January 17, 1997), Arafat and Netanyahu seized the opportunity of their Davos presence to reinforce a fragile new chapter in peace negotiations. The gathering, facilitated by intermediaries present at the Forum, underscored a shared awareness: even amid deep division, dialogue remained possible. Although the meeting sparked no major announcements or breakthroughs, it was hailed by observers as a sign of cautious confidence in the peace process. Netanyahu, who had initially campaigned against key aspects of the Oslo Accords, had nevertheless overseen their partial implementation—starting with Hebron’s phased redeployment—and was showing signs of engagement. Arafat, for his part, welcomed the encounter and expressed guarded optimism that political diplomacy could yet yield meaningful results. While no formal agreements emerged from their Davos tête-à-tête, the gathering marked a subtle but notable thaw in relations—one that carried forward into subsequent peace efforts later that year.