Taba (an Egyptian Red Sea resort town in the
Sinai Peninsula) was the site for a series of talks in January 2001 between Israelis and Palestinians, after the failure of the
Camp David II Summit and the outbreak of the
Second Intifada. Differences were considerably narrowed in the talks, but no final agreement was produced. The negotiations were a last attempt to salvage a peace settlement before
Israeli elections in February, in which
Ariel Sharon of the Likud party was expected to (and did) win a resounding victory, replacing
Ehud Barak of the Labor party as Prime Minister. Some have considered the Taba Talks as the best model for an eventual
Settlement. See "
Deconstructing the Taba Talks," Foundation for Middle East Peace, March-April 2001; and "
The Moratinos Non-Paper" UNISPAL, January 2001.