Geneva initiative

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The draft agreement on final status , better known as the Geneva Initiative (also known as the Geneva Agreement , Geneva Agreement ), is a virtual agreement to resolve the Middle East conflict .

Well-known politicians from Israel and the Palestinian territories , some of whom previously held ministerial posts, wanted to offer an alternative to violent confrontation at the height of the 2nd Intifada and to make it clear that the negotiation path would continue to be an option. As a private initiative, the Geneva Accord was neither official government policy of Israel nor Arafat , although the latter, not officially linked to the initiative, exerted some influence on the Palestinian negotiators.

The draft agreement envisages a future Palestinian state in almost all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip , the capital of which would be Jerusalem . From the Green Line , the armistice line between Israel and the Kingdom of Jordan 1949-1967, the future border between the two states, Israel and Palestine, was to deviate in only a few points. About 2 percent of the West Bank, which is home to some of the largest Israeli settlements, should, according to the Geneva Initiative, be assigned to the Israeli state, for which future Palestine should be compensated with an equally large area of ​​land.

In return for the abandonment of most Israeli settlements in these areas (estimates at the time the initiative was published were 110,000 people who would have to be relocated), the Palestinians should limit their right of return to a number that would ultimately be determined by Israel. With the implementation of the agreement, further claims and demands on Israel should expire.

The agreement was officially concluded on December 1, 2003 at a ceremony in Geneva . Among its creators are the Israeli politician Jossi Beilin ( Meretz-Jachad ), one of the founders of the Economic Cooperation Foundation (ECF) and the former minister of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Abed Rabbo .

Both sides stress that the Geneva Initiative is not binding on their governments.

The Geneva Initiative was supported by some countries and private donors (an unofficial source has cost 8 million US dollars numbered). The main donors were Switzerland , some other European countries and Japan . Official funding information was not made public.

The agreement

Both sides are not satisfied with the content of the agreement. The Palestinians want more concessions, while the Israelis fear that what they give up would endanger their security and the very existence of the state.

Main content

The main idea behind the initiative is the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip . In return, the State of Israel should be recognized by the Palestinians as the legal home of the Jewish people (the draft treaty does not explicitly require this, but it follows implicitly from its paragraphs). The agreement also obliges the Palestinians to renounce all forms of violence against Israel, including terrorism and incitement. The agreement also includes a commitment to disarm and disband all illegal armed groups. It also ends the mutual demands on each other. The conflict should officially end with the ratification.

Refugee issue

There are different assessments of how many Palestinian refugees Israel is obliged to accept. The relevant part of the text is Article 7 (4c):

iii. Option iv (Israel as permanent residence) is subject to the sovereign discretion of Israel and based on a number Israel submits to the International Commission. As a basis, Israel uses the average of the total figures submitted to the International Commission by the various third countries.

Some claim that this would not oblige Israel to take in any refugees, while others claim that Israel will have to take in a few refugees.

The question of the number of refugees who immigrate to Israel may not be particularly important. Only 10 percent of the Palestinian refugees would choose to live in Israel. 54 percent would prefer to live in a Palestinian state (according to figures from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research from July 18, 2003).

Israeli occupied territories and settlements

According to the agreement, the Palestinians would receive most of the territories occupied by Israel since the Six Day War . Israel would annex some densely populated areas near the Green Line (such as Gush Etzion and Maale Adumim ) that would be connected to Jerusalem by a road (also annexed) (this situation is similar to that of Mount Scopus after the Israeli War of Independence ). Other cities (such as Ariel ), parishes (such as Hebron ) and settlements would be abandoned and their residents relocated to the Israeli heartland . As compensation for the areas in the West Bank , the Palestinians received areas bordering the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

support

The vast majority (78 percent) of Palestinians reportedly know little or nothing about the Geneva Initiative, despite the fact that the initiative brochure has been distributed to all Israeli and Palestinian households. According to figures from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research of December 9, 2003, however, a majority of the Palestinians surveyed who are familiar with the initiative do not agree with the agreement on its central points (withdrawal, statehood, Jerusalem , refugees , and ending the conflict) to.

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The Israelis are said to be much better aware of the contents of the agreement as they have been widely discussed in the Israeli press. However, according to radio polls, the agreement is rejected by a 70% majority in Israel.

literature

  • Pure amber : from Gaza to Geneva. The Geneva peace initiative of Israelis and Palestinians (= series of publications of the German-Israeli working group for peace in the Middle East. Vol. 40). Wochenschau-Verlag, Schwalbach 2006, ISBN 3-89974-236-2 .
  • German-Israeli Working Group for Peace in the Middle East eV (DIAK) (ed.): Israel & Palestine. Journal for Dialog. ISSN  0175-7024 , 1983 ff., A magazine that appears four to six times a year.

Official website

Web links