ARTICLE #42: THE OSLO PROCESS AND AGREEMENTS ARISING FROM IT(1993-1998)
AND ONE MUCH EARLIER AGREEMENT I NEGLECTED TO INCLUDE IN ARTICLE #39
16A THE AGREEMENT ON DISENGAGEMENT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND SYRIA (1974)
This agreement provided for the continuation of the cease-fire already in effect and for the separation of opposing parties by a UN Peacekeeping Force. The Agreement specifically states that “H. This agreement is not a peace agreement. It is a step toward a just and durable peace on the basis of Security Council Resolution 338 dated October 22, 1973.” [
It was decided in the agreement that the two countries will maintain the ceasefire and immediately return prisoners of war on both sides. Then, it said, Israel will withdraw from all the enclaved areas and the Hermon top it occupied during the war, and a surface of about 25 km2 around the city of Quneitra and other small areas occupied during the Six-Day War. Finally, two separation lines were put into place: Israeli (marked in blue) and Syrian (marked in red),including a 235 km2 United Nations Disengagement Observer Force buffer zone on the Syrian side ]
The agreement stated that the Syrian civilians forced to leave their homes in the buffer zone will be able to return to them, as it pledged fight terrorist activities in the Golan Heights. These two undertakings were given as an oral commitment to the United States. Following the agreement was the establishment of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force buffer zone, which appointed 1,043 soldiers to oversee the buffer zone.
This agreement not only lasted for more than 45 years, but has been operative from the moment it was signed. This makes it the longest successful continuous agreement Israel has ever had with an Arab country to date. The current Syrian government (May, 2025) has affirmed the agreements continuing effect. Israel’s position indicates some of its terms are in suspension (IL’s occupation of some Syrian territory to serve as a buffer zone until such time as the Syrian government is stablized and in control, with ejection of about 100 families from their homes in this new buffer zone).
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THE OSLO ACCORDS
NOTE 1: The Oslo Accords are a pair of interim agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995. They marked the start of the Oslo process, a peace process aimed at achieving a peace treaty based on Resolution 242 and Resolution 338 of the United Nations Security Council. The Oslo process began after secret negotiations in Oslo, Norway. Below the 2 Oslo agreements and some of those that followed are slightly chronologically out of order to give better sense of their effect. In fact between 1993 and 2000, 10 agreements were reached, most on specific issues.
NOTE 2: Some critics of the Accords believe that Arafat’s personality and complete control of the PLO was the reason that he forwent the opportunity to negotiate the principle of creation of an independent Palestinians state being enshrined in the Accords, and was satisfied with IL recognizing the PLO as the only legitimate negotiating partner in any discussions between the 2 sides.
NOTE 3: Much ink has been spilled over the utility and effect of the Accords on the pathway to a full peace between the Palestinians and Israelis. There is near unanimous agreement
the the extremists on both sides set about ensuring that peace agreements would never be reached. This was a feature throughout this Conflict when the sides started talking seriously and word got out if the talks were in secret. Hamas was the primary actor on the Muslim side and the settler movement on the Israeli side. There were other groups and state actors outside the two main ones that also tried to destroy chances of a peaceful resolution. For a description of the continued killings as examples, see Chronicle # 21 which sets out the events of this critical period.
NOTE 4: While in 2020 the PLO renounced the Accords, and IL ignored many of its provisions, the Palestinian Authority (the PA) still existed and governed the Palestinian Area A and cogoverns Area B with the Israeli military, However, the Accords and various subsequent agreements in general would appear to be a dead or of no effect.
15 Oslo Accord 1 Aug,1993
16 Interim Agreement (Oslo Accord 2) 1995
17 Gaza-Jericho Agreement (The Cairo Agreement, May, 1994)
18 The Protocol on Economic Relations (The Paris Protocol, May, 1994)
19 Interim Period Agreement 1994
20 Israel–Jordan peace treaty October, 1994
21 israel/Syrian Agreement late May, 1995
22 Beilin Abu Mazen draft Agreement 1995
23 Hebron Protocol 1997
24 Wye River Memorandum 1998
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15 OSLO ACCORD 1 (1993)
1 In their Letters of Mutual Recognition of 9 September 1993, days before the signing of the Oslo I Accord, each party agreed to accept the other as a negotiation partner. The PLO recognized the State of Israel. Israel recognized the PLO as "the representative of the Palestinian people”;
16 OSLO ACCORD 2 (TABA AGREEMENTS) (1995)
1 Oslo II created the Areas A, B and C in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority was given some limited powers and responsibilities in the Areas A and B and a prospect of negotiations on a final settlement based on Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. The Accord was officially signed on 28 September 1995 (Below is a somewhat simplified map).
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2 The stated goals of the Oslo Accords were among other things, Palestinian interim Self-Government [not the Palestinian Authority (PA), but the Palestinian Legislative Council] and a permanent settlement of unresolved issues within five years, based on Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. Although the agreements recognized the Palestinian "legitimate and political rights," they remain silent about their fate after the interim period. The Oslo Accords neither define the nature of the post-Oslo Palestinian self-government and its powers and responsibilities, nor do they define the borders of the territory it eventually would govern
3 A core issue of the Oslo Accords was the withdrawal of the Israeli military from Palestinian territories. The plan was a withdrawal in phases and a simultaneous transfer of responsibilities to the Palestinian authorities for maintaining security. The first phase included the withdrawal from the Areas A and B. Redeployments from Area C would follow in subsequent phases. By excluding Jerusalem and the settlements from the areas to be transferred to the Palestinians, Israeli presence, including the military to protect them, would not change without a negotiated agreement.
4 The Accords also preserve Israel's exclusive control of the borders, the airspace and the territorial Gaza waters. The first step was a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Jericho and transfer of some powers and responsibilities on civil matters to the interim Palestinian Authority. All to be agreed upon within two months from October 1993 (Oslo I, Annex II).
5 Then, Israeli troops were to withdraw from populated Palestinian areas to pave the way for Palestinian elections to establish the council. The council would replace the PA; and the Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank would be dissolved (Oslo II, Article I). Further redeployments of Israeli troops would follow upon the inauguration of the council, as detailed in the Protocol, Annex I of Oslo1.
6 Permanent status negotiations about remaining issues would start not later than May 1996 (two years after the signing of the Gaza–Jericho Agreement; Oslo I, Article V) and be concluded before May 1999 (end of 5 year interim period). A peace treaty would end the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
17 GAZA-JERICHO AGREEMENT 1994 ( The 1994 CAIRO AGREEMENT)
1 This Agreement, officially called Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, was a follow-up treaty to the Oslo I Accord in which details of Palestinian autonomy were concluded. The Agreement provided for limited Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip within five years. Pursuant to the Agreement, Israel promised to withdraw partly from the Jericho region in the West Bank and partly from the Gaza Strip, within three weeks of signing. The Palestinian Authority was created by the Agreement (Article III, Transfer of Authority), and Yasser Arafat became the first president of the PA on 5 July 1994 upon the formal inauguration of the PA.
18 THE PROTOCOL ON ECONOMIC RELATIONS (THE PARIS PROTOCOL, 1994)
1 Essentially, the Protocol integrated the Palestinian economy into the Israeli one through a customs union, with Israel to control all borders, both its own and those of the Palestinian Authority. Palestine remained without independent gates to the world economy. The Protocol regulated the relationship and interaction between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in six major areas: customs, taxes, labor, agriculture, industry and tourism.
19 TRANSITIONAL PERIOD AND PERMANENT STATUS NEGOTIATIONS
1 This was an important feature of Oslo 1 (Article V). It provided time frames for moving the peace process forward.
A. The five-year transitional period would begin upon the withdrawal by IL from the Gaza Strip and Jericho area.
B. Permanent status negotiations would commence as soon as possible, but not later than the beginning of the third year of the interim period, between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian people's representatives.
C. It was understood that these negotiations would cover remaining issues, including: Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, security arrangements, borders, relations and cooperation with other neighbours, and other issues of common interest.
D. The two parties agreed that the outcome of the permanent status negotiations should not be prejudiced or preempted by agreements reached for the interim period.
2 In May 1999, the five years interim period ended without reaching a comprehensive peace agreement, but elements of the Oslo Accords remained. The interim Palestinian Authority became permanent, and a dominant factor of the PLO. The West Bank remained divided into Areas A, B and C. Area C, covering some 60% of the West Bank, is under exclusive Israeli military and civilian control. Less than 1% of area C is designated for use by Palestinians, who are also unable to build in their own existing villages in area C due to Israeli restrictions.The Israeli Civil Administration, part of a larger entity known as Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is a unit in the Defence Ministry of Israel, continued to function in full. The Israeli–Palestinian Joint Water Committee continued.
3 Among the notable outcomes of the Oslo Accords was the creation of the Palestinian National Authority, which was tasked with the responsibility of conducting limited Palestinian self-governance over parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; and the international acknowledgement of the PLO as Israel's partner in permanent-status negotiations about any remaining issues revolving around the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
4 Bilateral dialogue would stem from questions related to the international border between Israel and a future Palestinian state: negotiations for this subject would be centred around Israeli settlements, the status of Jerusalem, Israel's maintenance of control over security following the establishment of Palestinian autonomy, and the Palestinian right of return. The Oslo Accords did not create a Palestinian state
20 THE JORDAN ISRAELI PEACE TREATY 26 OCTOBER, 1994
1 The Israel–Jordan peace treaty (formally the "Treaty of Peace Between the State of Israel and State of Jordan, sometimes referred to as the Wadi Araba Treaty), is an agreement that ended the state of war that has existed between the two countries since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and established mutual diplomatic relations. In addition to establishing peace between the two countries, the treaty also settled land and water disputes, provided for broad cooperation in tourism and trade, and obligated both countries to prevent their territory being used as a staging ground for military strikes by a third country.
2 A couple of terms were relevant to the Palestinians.
a) Jerusalem: Article 9 linked the Peace Treaty to the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. Israel recognized the special role of Jordan in Muslim Holy shrines in Jerusalem and committed itself to give high priority to the Jordanian historic role in these shrines in negotiations on the permanent status.
b) Palestinian refugees: Israel and Jordan agreed to cooperate to help the refugees, including a four-way committee (Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinians) to try to work towards solutions.
21 ISRAEL/SYRIAN AGREEMENT LATE MAY, 1995
1 Rabin and Assad signed an American drafted paper “Aims and Principles of Security Arrangements” which outlined the prospective symmetrical and asymmetrical security arrangements. Benjamin Netenyahu replaced Shimon Peres (Rabin had been assassinated) in May, 1996 and refused to sign on.
22 BEILIN ABU MAZEN DRAFT AGREEMENT 1995
NOTE 5: This interesting negotiation between 2 highly placed officials (Abbas and Beilin) gives a glimpse into what might have been possible in less contentious and difficult times. For more detail go to Wikipedia.
1 In the Beilin–Abu Mazen Agreement, Israel would agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state on most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In turn, the Palestinians would give up their right of return to Israel proper and instead encourage Palestinian refugees to settle in the new Palestinian state. It dealt with settlements as well as Jerusalem. It was never signed by either party, and was repudiated by Yasser Arafat as well as Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abas).
23 THE HEBRON PROTOCOL JANUARY 1997
1 The Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron, also known as the Hebron Protocol or Hebron Agreement, was signed on 17 January 1997 by Israel, represented by Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), represented by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, under the supervision of U.S. Secretary of State, Warren Christopher. It concerned the partial redeployment of Israeli military forces from Hebron in accordance with the 1995 Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip ("Oslo II"). According to the Protocol, Area H-1 (about 80%) would come under Palestinian control, while Area H-2 would remain under Israeli control. A large Palestinian majority still lives in both Area H-1 and Area H-2. The redeployment started on 16 January 1997. The protocol was never been ratified by either of the contracting parties.
24 THE WYE RIVER MEMORANDUM OCTOBER, 1998
NOTE 6: this was the last formal agreement signed by IL and the PLO. Just over a year later the 2nd Intifada broke out.
1 This was an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinian Authority at a summit in Wye River, Maryland, U.S., held 15–23 October 1998. The Memorandum aimed to resume the implementation of the 1995 Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (Oslo II Accord). It was signed in the White House by Benjamin Netanyahu and Yasser Arafat, through negotiations led by U.S. President Bill Clinton, on 23 October 1998.
2 On 17 November 1998 Israel's 120-member parliament, the Knesset, approved the Memorandum by a vote of 75–19. The Memorandum determined that it would enter into force on 2 November 1998, ten days from the date of signature.
3 On 18 December 1998, the Clinton administration and the EU declared their contentment about the implementation of the first phase of the Memorandum by both sides. Israel, however, had only implemented stage 1 of the further redeployment (F.R.D.), meaning that it had withdrawn from 2% of Area C instead of the required 13%. Both parties accused each other of not fulfilling its share of responsibilities under the Wye River Memorandum, and the further implementation of the agreement remained unfinished.The agreement was finally signed by Netanyahu and PLO Chairman Arafat at the White House, with US President Clinton playing a key role as the official witness.
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THE NEXT POSTING IS CHRONOLOGY # 23 1999-2003 THE SECOND INTIFADA BEGINS