Palestinian autonomy talks Liberation Organization nor any other Palestinian organization was directly involved in the talks. The talks began in late May 1979. The third round of talks were held at Herzliya, Israel on June 25–26, 1979. The delegations were led by Prime Minister Mustafa Khalil (Egypt), Minister Yosef Burg (Israel), and Ambassador James Leonard (United States). Egypt said it did not speak for the Palestinians but rather sought Palestinian elections for a council that would represent the Palestinians. Delegates met in the Netherlands on February 27, 1980. On May 8, 1980, Anwar Sadat unilaterally suspended the negotiations. In July 1980, the talks
Assassination of Anwar Sadat arrest of numerous opposition figures. Though Sadat still maintained high levels of popularity in Egypt, it has been said that he was assassinated "at the peak" of his unpopularity. Earlier in his presidency, Islamists had benefited from the "rectification revolution" and the release from prison of activists jailed under Nasser but Sadat's Sinai treaty with Israel enraged Islamists, particularly the radical Egyptian Islamic Jihad. According to interviews and information gathered by journalist Lawrence Wright, the group was recruiting military officers and accumulating weapons, waiting for the right moment to launch "a complete overthrow of the existing order" in Egypt. Chief