Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip

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The Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip , known as Oslo II or the Taba Agreement , a complex key agreement on the future of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, was first signed by Israel and the PLO on September 24, 1995 in Taba, on the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt . A second time on September 28 in Washington, in the presence of US President Bill Clinton ; In addition to the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin and the chairman of the PLO, Yassir Arafat , representatives from Russia, Egypt, Jordan, Norway and the European Union were present at this high-profile ceremony .

With the Oslo II Agreement, the West Bank was divided into A, B and C areas. The A areas, consisting of the larger cities, were placed under PA control. The B areas are mainly composed of rural communities and villages; The Palestinians have the administrative control and Israel the security control over them. Area C is under Israeli control, both civil and security, and primarily includes sparsely populated areas, Palestinian villages and Israeli settlements .

The agreement was part of a comprehensive peace process based on the Gaza-Jericho Agreement (English Declaration of Principles , abbreviated DOP, also known as Oslo Agreement or Oslo I), which was officially signed on September 13, 1993 by Israel and the PLO by Rabin and Arafat was signed in Washington.

Oslo II became the basis and reference source for subsequent negotiations and agreements such as the Hebron Protocol (1997), the Wye Agreement (1998) and the Roadmap from 2002. However, it was repeatedly terminated by Mahmud Abbas (2015 and 2018) and is considered to be failed.

The agreement

The preamble highlights the background of the agreement in previous diplomatic efforts such as UN Security Council Resolution 242 (1967), UN Security Council Resolution 338 (1973), the Madrid Conference (1991) and other previous agreements.

The agreement consists of five chapters with 31 articles, seven annexes and nine attached maps; his main point:

  • the establishment of a Palestinian interim autonomous government, d. H. of an elected council (see below) -

and expressly replaces three previous agreements from 1994 and 1995:

Chapter 1: The Palestinian Council

See Articles I-IX: The role and competences of a ruling Palestinian council and committee dealing with civil affairs and the transfer of authority from Israel to the Palestinian council are dealt with . It also regulates the holding of elections, the structure of the Palestinian Council, which should have 82 members. The executive of the council, which should meet in public, and various other committees are also dealt with.

Chapter 2: Retreat and Security Arrangements

See Articles X-XVI: The chapter regulates the phases of the withdrawal of the Tzahal , the role of the Israeli security forces and the Israeli police, and the perspective of the West Bank and Gaza Strip areas: the division of the areas into Area A, Area B and Area C. , Settlement of Security and Public Order Issues, Prevention of Hostile Acts, Confidence Building Measures and the Role of the Palestinian Police:

“The Palestinian police, established under the Gaza-Jericho agreement, will be fully integrated into the Palestinian police and will be subject to the provisions of this agreement. Apart from the Palestinian police and Israeli military units, no other armed forces are to be established or operated in the West Bank and Gaza ” .

Chapter 3: Legal Affairs

See Articles XVII-XXI: this defines the powers and jurisdiction of the Palestinian Council, as well as its legislative powers and the resolution of conflicts. In addition, that "Israel and the Council should exercise their competences and responsibilities ... taking into account the internationally accepted norms and principles of human rights and the rule of law ". Also the various rights, liabilities and obligations related to the transfer of autonomy rights from the Israeli military government and its civil administration to the Palestinian Council, in terms of financial claims and the settlement of disputes.

Chapter 4: Cooperation

See Articles XXII-XXVIII: Relations between Israel and the Council:

The parties “... should accordingly abstain from incitement, including hostile propaganda against one another ... so that their respective educational systems contribute to peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples and peace throughout the region, and they will refrain from introducing any motive that could adversely affect the process of reconciliation ... (they will) work together to combat criminal activities that could affect both sides, including violations related to the illicit trafficking of drugs and psychotropic drugs, smuggling and property violations ... "

The chapter also contains regulations governing economic relations as laid down in a protocol of April 29, 1994, signed in Paris. The chapter also speaks of cooperation programs that should be developed in the future, the role and functioning of the Joint Israeli-Palestinian Liaison Committee established as part of the Declaration of Principles , and the establishment of a Monitoring and Steering Committee . Another part of the chapter is dedicated to the cooperation with Jordan and Egypt and the localization and return of missing citizens and soldiers.

Chapter 5: various regulations

See Articles XXIX-XXXI: It establishes arrangements for the safe passage of people and goods between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It also regulates the coordination between Israel and the Council with regard to the passage to and from Jordan, Egypt and any other international border crossing.

Finally, the last part deals with the signature and implementation of the agreement and stipulates that the Gaza-Jericho Agreement (July 1994), the Preparatory Transfer Agreement (August 1994) and the Further Transfer Protocol (August 1995) will be replaced by the interim agreement. There is also talk of the need for and the timing of negotiations on a final status and that:

“The PLO undertakes that within two months of the opening session of the Council, the Palestinian National Council will meet and formally confirm the necessary changes to the Palestinian Covenant , following the commitment set out in the letters sent by the Chairman of the PLO and addressed to the Prime Minister of Israel on September 9, 1993 and May 4, 1994 ” .

The chapter also includes a discussion on the release of Palestinian prisoners, an agreement on the attached treaty appendices and maps, and the start of the Israeli withdrawal.

Other Arab-Israeli treaties and peace initiatives

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Maria honey, Hans Maria Heyn: The Area C of the West Bank and its importance for the creation of a Palestinian state Konrad Adenauer Foundation, 16 December 2013
  2. ↑ http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/palaestinenser-abbas-kuendigt-oslo-vertraege-auf.1818.de.html?dram:article_id=332581
  3. ↑ «Patience in the end»: Abbas terminates the Oslo peace process. In: sueddeutsche.de. September 30, 2015, accessed August 27, 2020 .