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UN Security Council Resolutions 242
It aims to establish a just and lasting peace in the Middle East between Israel and its neighbours. The resolution calls for a withdrawal from an undefined portion of territory, and only to the extent required by ‘secure and recognised boundaries’ in order for Israel to establish defensible borders. There is no demand on Israel to withdraw from all the territories captured in 1967. -
UN Security Council Resolution 338
Original Proposal After Israel defended the Syrian attack on the Golan Heights and established a bridgehead on the Egyptian side of the Suez Canal US and Russia decided to make a new treaty. According to this treaty Isreal and other Arbic countries would cease fighting and resume diplomatic efforts. -
Separation of Forces Agreement: Israel and Egypt
After the war efforts were made to reach an agreement on separation of forces between Israel and Egypt, and between Israel and Syria. US secretary of state Henry Kissinger successfully narrowed the gap between the parties, bringing about the conclusion of an agreement. Before the signing of the agreement, the Israeli government approved it and issued a statement. A day later, the agreement was signed at kilometre 101 by the chiefs of staff of the Israeli and Egyptian armies. -
Interim Agreement between Israel and Egypt
The Interim Agreement provided for a limited forces zone, a UN supervised buffer zone, an Israeli and an Egyptian electronic surveillance station and an additional station to be manned by 200 American civilian technicians as part of an early warning system. The American presence was specified in a separate agreement between the United States, Israel and Egypt. Egypt regained access to the Abu Rudeis oil fields. -
Israel’s Self-Rule Plan
In December 1977, Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin announced his autonomy plan. The plan for the first time formally suggested that the solution to the problem in the West Bank and Gaza Strip involved some combination of self-rule and shared rule. The plan called for administrative autonomy of the Arab residents in the West Bank and Gaza districts, and the election of an 11-member Administrative Council (among other provisions). Palestinian leaders rejected Begin’s self-rule plan. -
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords, mediated by US president Jimmy Carter, brought together Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to negotiate a framework agreement that led to the Israel-Egypt peace treaty (signed in 1979). The negotiations – which were based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 – were concluded by the signing of two frameworks. The first agreement (the ‘Framework for Peace in the Middle East’) established a framework by which to pursue a negot -
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
The Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt led to the signing of a negotiated peace treaty on 26 March 1979. The agreement was signed in Washington, DC by US president Jimmy Carter, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israel prime minister Menachem Begin. It was the first peace treaty signed between Israel and any of its Arab neighbours. Sadat and Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for their historic agreements. The peace treaty led to a full Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula -
Israel-US Memorandum Agreement
On the same day as the signing of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, Israel and the United States reached an agreement in which the US clarified its commitments to Israel should the treaty be violated, the role of the United Nations, and the future supply of military and economic aid to Israel. -
Venice Declaration
The Venice Declaration was produced by the nine member states of the European Community in June 1980 to articulate the basic EC position on peace negotiations. It called for recognition of Israel’s right to exist within secure borders, as well as recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination. It also states that the nine EC states are ‘prepared to participate within the framework of a comprehensive settlement.’ -
Israeli proposal for self-governing authority in the West Bank and Gaza
In accordance with the Camp David Accords, Israel proposed a plan for the establishment of a self-governing authority (administrative council) that would be comprised of one body representing Palestinian Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza. The plan envisioned that this body would be chosen through free elections, thereby giving the Palestinians their first elected representative body in accordance with their own wishes and free choice, that would be able to carry out the functions assigned to it as -
Israeli Peace Initiative calling for a negotiation process
Israel’s national unity government presented a document of principles for a political initiative that would deal with the continuation of the peace process, the termination of the state of war with the Arab states, the situation for the Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza, peace with Jordan and a way to handle the situation of the residents of the refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza. -
Baker’s Five Point Plan
US secretary of state James Baker presented a plan intended to bring together Israeli and Palestinian delegations to discuss elections and the negotiating process as set out in Israel’s initiative. -
Madrid Peace Framework
In the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, US president George Bush Sr. and US secretary of state James Baker organised the Madrid Conference, in collaboration with Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. It was attended by Israel, Syria, Lebanon and a joint Palestinian-Jordanian delegation. For the first time, Israel entered into direct, face-to-face negotiations with Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and the Palestinians. Today’s Middle East peace negotiations are carried out within the structure of the Madrid -
Declaration of Principles (Oslo I)
The Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP, also known as Oslo I), signed by prime minister Rabin and chairman Arafat on the White House Lawn on13 September 1993, outlined a framework for the transfer of self-governing authority to the Palestinians. The DOP called for (1) a staged Israeli withdrawal from two areas, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho, (2) the creation of a Palestinian Authority to govern Palestinians in those areas until the elect -
Israel-PLO Mutual Recognition
few days before the signing of the Declaration of Principles, PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin exchanged letters of mutual recognition. The PLO accepted Israel’s ‘right to exist in peace and security’ and renounced ‘the use of terrorism and other acts of violence.’ Israel recognised the PLO ‘as the representative of the Palestinian people.’ -
Gaza-Jericho Agreement (the Cairo Agreement)
At a ceremony in Cairo on 4 May 1994, Israel and the Palestinians signed the Gaza-Jericho Agreement (sometimes called the Cairo Agreement). The agreement led to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA) shortly thereafter. Each party to this agreement undertook numerous obligations, foremost among them Israel’s commitment to turn territory over to the PA, and the Palestinian commitment to combat terror and prevent violence. -
Washington Declaration
Although Israel and Jordan maintained secret relations, the first public meeting between King Hussein of Jordan and prime minister Rabin took place in Washington on 25 July 1994. This meeting produced the Washington Declaration, signed by King Hussein and prime minister Rabin, with US president Bill Clinton serving as a witness. -
Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities
On 29 August 1994, this agreement was signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The agreement puts into effect the next phase (early empowerment) of the Declaration of Principles (Oslo I). -
Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty
On 26 October 1994, at the Arava desert border crossing, prime minister Rabin and King Hussein of Jordan, alongside Jordanian prime minister Abdul-Salam Majali, signed a formal peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, normalising relations between them. The treaty comprises 30 articles, five annexes and six maps addressing such issues as boundary demarcations, security, water, refugees, police cooperation, environmental issues and mutual border crossings. -
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement (Oslo II)
The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (also known as Oslo II) was signed on 24 September 1995 in Taba, Egypt, and countersigned four days later in Washington. It is an extensive, complex document. Among its major provisions, Oslo II calls for further Israeli troop redeployments beyond the Gaza and Jericho areas. Under the agreement, Israel was first scheduled to redeploy from the major Palestinian population centres in the West Bank. -
Hebron Protocol
The Hebron Protocol called for dividing the West Bank city of Hebron into Israeli and Palestinian areas. Israel agreed to withdraw from 80 percent of Hebron whilst maintaining security control over 20 percent of the city. The protocol reaffirmed areas to be implemented in accordance with the Interim Agreement (Oslo II). For Israel, this included responsibilities to redeploy troops, negotiation of a safe passage between Gaza and the West Bank and the opening port and airport in Gaza. -
Wye River Memorandum
The Wye River Memorandum was signed by Prime Minister Netanyahu and chairman Arafat on 23 October 1998 in a ceremony attended by King Hussein of Jordan and hosted by president Clinton. The memorandum consists of steps to facilitate the implementation of the Interim Agreement (Oslo II) and other related agreements, including the January 1997 Note for the Record. The agreement emphasises reciprocity and addresses specific security concerns that Israel had raised in the past. -
Protocol concerning safe passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
This protocol – based on the Interim Agreement (Oslo II), the Wye River Memorandum and the Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement – set out the parameters for the use of a safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza. -
Camp David II Summit
at the invitation of president Clinton, prime minister Barak and chairman Arafat met at Camp David to discuss permanent status issues and negotiate a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in accordance with the September 1993 accord (Oslo I). However, no formal agreement was reached at Camp David. American and Israeli negotiators put forward bold ideas that would have affected issues such as borders, Jerusalem, settlements, the prospects for Palestinian statehood and refugees. -
Clinton Parameters
President Clinton proposed the following: a Palestinian state in 97 percent of the West Bank, 100 percent of Gaza (and a land link between the two), the Arab neighbourhoods of east Jerusalem would become the capital of the Palestinian state, a right for Palestinian refugees to settle in a future Palestinian state -
Taba talks
Hosted by president Clinton, talks were held in Washington with Israeli and Palestinian teams from 19-23 December 2000. The Israeli delegation was headed by foreign minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and prime ministerial bureau chief Gilad Sher. President Clinton presented a bridging proposal to the parties. Following a meeting in Cairo between foreign minister Ben-Ami and chairman Arafat, marathon talks between Israeli and Palestinian delegations were held in Taba from 21-27 January 2001. -
Mitchell Commission Report
The report called on the Palestinians to fight terrorism, resume security cooperation with Israel and end incitement. It called on Israel to cease settlement building to re-establish confidence. -
Performance-based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution
It was issued under the auspices of the Quartet – comprised of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia. The Roadmap specified three phases, with timelines, target dates and benchmarks, aimed at bringing Israelis and Palestinians towards the ultimate goal of a comprehensive and permanent settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. -
Sharm el-Sheikh meeting
On 8 February 2005, prime minister Ariel Sharon, PA president Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan convened in Sharm el-Sheikh for a summit intended to produce an official declaration of ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians, and an end to the violence since September 2000. -
Disengagement Plan
In late 2003 Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon announced his intention to withdraw all Israeli settlements and military forces from the Gaza Strip and evacuate four settlements in the northern West Bank. The disengagement from the Gaza Strip was completed on 22 August 2005, and from the northern West Bank on 23 August. On 12 September 2005, IDF forces completed their exit from Gaza. The Head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Dan Harel, signed a declaration stating the end of military rule -
Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement
On 4 September 1999, the Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement was signed by prime minister Ehud Barak and chairman Arafat. Restating the commitment of the two sides to full implementation of all agreements reached since September 1993, the agreement set out to resolve the outstanding issues of the interim status, in particular those set out in the Wye River Memorandum, in order to accelerate completion of the interim period towards the initiation of negotiations on permanent status. -
Agreement on Movement and Access
On 15 November 2005, Israel and the Palestinian Authority reached the Agreement on Movement and Access, which is intended to govern the flow of people and goods from and into Gaza. The agreement divides responsibility between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in controlling the crossing between Gaza and Egypt, with the EU as a third party monitor. -
Annapolis Conference
The conference ended with the issuing of a joint statement in which Israel and the Palestinians agreed to try and conclude a peace agreement by the end of 2008. During the course of 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was forced to announce his resignation due to corruption allegations. Before his term ended he made a substantial, outline package proposal for a final status agreement to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas never formally responded to the proposal -
President Obama’s 19 May Parameters
US President Barack Obama delivered a major speech on the region in which he presented an outline proposal on various aspects of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Obama called for peace based on the principle of, ‘Israel as a Jewish state and the homeland for the Jewish people, and the state of Palestine as the homeland for the Palestinian people, each state enjoying self-determination, mutual recognition, and peace.’
