Oslo II

Oslo II. Officially known as the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement, it was a pivotal accord signed in 1995 that expanded upon the framework established by the Oslo I Accord. The agreement aimed to create a detailed blueprint for Palestinian self-governance in parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, dividing the territory into distinct administrative zones. It represented a major, though ultimately fraught, step in the Oslo process spearheaded by leaders like Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat.

Background and context

The agreement emerged from the secret negotiations in Norway that had produced the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements in 1993. Following the creation of the Palestinian National Authority and the signing of the Gaza–Jericho Agreement, negotiators sought to address the more complex issue of the West Bank. The political climate was tense, with opposition from groups like Hamas and the Likud party, and the shadow of earlier violence such as the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre. Key figures involved in the talks included Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei, and United States Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

Main provisions

The core of the accord established a division of the West Bank into three administrative areas: Area A, Area B, and Area C. Area A, encompassing major Palestinian cities like Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron, granted the Palestinian National Authority full civil and security control. Area B, covering many Palestinian towns and villages, provided Palestinian civil control and shared Israeli-Palestinian security responsibility. Area C, which included Israeli settlements, military locations, and much of the open land, remained under full Israeli civil and security control. The agreement also outlined further Israeli redeployments, detailed security cooperation protocols, and set a timetable for negotiations on permanent status issues such as Jerusalem, refugees, and borders.

Implementation and challenges

Initial implementation saw the Israel Defense Forces withdraw from several West Bank cities and the deployment of the Palestinian Police. However, the process was immediately challenged by escalating violence, including a wave of suicide attacks by Palestinian militants and the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist in November 1995. The Hebron Protocol in 1997 was a subsequent attempt to address the volatile situation in that city. Continued expansion of Israeli settlements in Area C, alongside Palestinian accusations of Israeli non-compliance with redeployment schedules, created constant friction. The election of Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party in 1996 further slowed the process.

Reactions and criticism

Reactions were deeply polarized. The Clinton administration hailed it as a historic breakthrough, with President Bill Clinton presiding over the signing ceremony at the White House. Within Israel, the Labor Party and left-wing supporters saw it as a path to peace, while right-wing opponents denounced it as a security risk. Palestinian supporters of the Palestine Liberation Organization viewed it as a step toward statehood, but factions like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad rejected it entirely, launching attacks to undermine it. Critics on both sides argued the territorial divisions would cement a fragmented, non-viable Palestinian entity and entrench Israeli control over key resources.

Legacy and subsequent developments

The agreement's legacy is one of an unfulfilled interim phase. While it defined the administrative map of the West Bank for decades, the intended five-year transition to a final agreement collapsed. The subsequent Camp David 2000 Summit failed, and the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000 effectively ended the cooperative framework. The division into Areas A, B, and C became a permanent feature of the conflict, often cited in analyses of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Later plans like the Road map for peace and initiatives by figures like Mahmoud Abbas and Ehud Olmert grappled with the unresolved issues Oslo II was meant to temporarily manage, leaving its core provisions as a contentious and unresolved foundation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Category:Israeli–Palestinian peace process Category:Treaties of Israel Category:Treaties of the Palestine Liberation Organization Category:1995 in Israel Category:1995 in Palestine