Thirteen Days in September by Lawrence Wright

Author:Lawrence Wright [Wright, Lawrence]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-385-35204-8
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2014-09-15T16:00:00+00:00

AFTER THE MEETING concluded in acrimony, Carter asked Dayan to walk with him back to his cabin. He vented his anger over what he saw as Begin’s obstructionism and asked for Dayan’s help.

They sat on the terrace of Carter’s cabin, speaking in low tones to avoid waking Rosalynn. Dayan said that Carter was misreading Begin. He really did want peace, but the issue of the Sinai settlements was standing in the way. It was a matter of principle with Begin that Jews should be allowed to live anywhere. On the eve of Camp David, Begin had pledged to his own delegation that he would never withdraw the settlements from Sinai, and if he was pressured to do so he would walk out. In the face of that, Dayan suggested, Carter might propose that Sadat allow Israelis to continue living there, at least temporarily, as they might in Cairo or Alexandria. If Sadat agreed, that might satisfy Begin.

Before Dayan left, Carter went into the cabin and emerged with a bag of peanuts. They were from Georgia, he said proudly. They had been allowed to soak in salt water, unshelled, which was what gave them their special flavor. Dayan was touched by the simple gesture.

It was nearly dawn, but still dark, and Dayan was a bit disoriented as he made his way back to his cabin. After losing his left eye in battle, his lifelong fear was that he would lose sight in his remaining eye; and now, although he tried to hide the fact, he truly was going blind. When he turned around to head back to his cabin, he walked directly into a tree. Carter ran to help him. Blood was streaming out of Dayan’s nose. Carter guided him to the main path.

When Carter finally climbed into bed, Rosalynn asked, “What happened?” It was nearly four in the morning. “We had to do a song and dance with Begin over every word,” he said wearily. “I’ll tell you about it in the morning.” If Dayan or Weizman were prime minister, there would be a peace treaty by now, Carter believed, but he was beginning to have doubts about Begin’s sanity. Just before he fell asleep, he added that Begin was a “psycho.”

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