TheInterim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, commonly known asOslo II orOslo 2, was a key and complex agreement in theIsraeli–Palestinian peace process. Because it was signed inTaba, Egypt, it is sometimes called theTaba Agreement. TheOslo Accords envisioned the establishment of a Palestinian interim self-government in the Palestinian territories. Oslo II created theAreas A, B and C in the West Bank. ThePalestinian 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 Resolutions242 and338. The Accord was officially signed on 28 September 1995.
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The Oslo II Accord was first signed inTaba (in theSinai Peninsula,Egypt) byIsrael and thePLO on 24 September 1995 and then four days later on 28 September 1995 by Israeli Prime MinisterYitzhak Rabin and PLO ChairmanYasser Arafat and witnessed byUS PresidentBill Clinton as well as by representatives ofRussia,Egypt, Jordan,Norway, and theEuropean Union inWashington, D.C.
The agreement is built on the foundations of the initialOslo I Accord, formally called theDeclaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, which had been formally signed on 13 September 1993 by Israel and the PLO, with Prime Minister Rabin and Chairman Arafat in Washington, D.C. shaking hands, and officially witnessed by the United States and Russia.
It supersedes three earlier agreements:
The Oslo II Accord is called aninterim agreement because it was supposed to be the basis for subsequent negotiations and the preliminary of an eventual comprehensive peace agreement. Severaladditional agreements were concluded following Oslo II, but negotiations did not produce a final peace agreement. The 2002Road map for peace abandoned the Oslo Accords and envisioned a rather loose scheme of withdrawal.
The preamble of the agreement speaks of peaceful coexistence, mutual dignity, and security, while recognizing the mutual legitimate and political rights of the parties. The aim of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is, among other things, to establish a Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority for the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, for a transitional period not exceeding five years, leading to a permanent settlement based on Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.
As soon as possible but not later than 4 May 1996, negotiations on the permanent status would be started, leading to the implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, and settling all the main issues.[1]
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the main object of the Interim Agreement
to broaden Palestinian self-government in the West Bank by means of an elected self-governing authority [to] allow the Palestinians to conduct their own internal affairs, reduce points of friction between Israelis and Palestinians, and open a new era of cooperation and co-existence based on common interest, dignity and mutual respect. At the same time it protects Israel's vital interests, and in particular its security interests, both with regard to external security as well as the personal security of its citizens in the West Bank.[2]
The Interim Agreement comprises over 300 pages containing 5 "chapters" with 31 "articles", plus 7 "annexes" and 9 attached "maps". The agreement has a "preamble" acknowledging its roots in earlier diplomatic efforts ofUN Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) andUN Security Council Resolution 338 (1973) theMadrid Conference of 1991 and the other prior agreements that came before it. Most significantly the agreement recognizes the establishment of a "Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority," that is an elected Council, called "the Council" or "the Palestinian Council".
Consisting of Articles I–IX: The role and powers of a governing Palestinian "council" and committee dealing with civil affairs and the transfer of power from Israel to the Palestinian Council. The holding ofelections, the structure of the Palestinian Council, and that it should contain 82 representatives, the executive authority of the Council, various other committees, that meetings of the council should be open to the public, and outlining the powers and responsibilities of the Council.
Consisting of Articles X–XVI: Phases of the redeployment of theIsrael Defense Forces, roles of theIsraeli Security Forces and theIsraeli police, perspectives on the land of theWest Bank andGaza Strip, definition of theAreas A, B and C dividing the West Bank, arrangements for security and public order, prevention of hostile acts, confidence-building measures, and the role of the Palestinianpolice:
The Palestinian police force established under the Gaza-Jericho Agreement will be fully integrated into the Palestinian Police and will be subject to the provisions of this Agreement. Except for the Palestinian Police and the Israeli military forces, no other armed forces shall be established or operate in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Consisting of Articles XVII–XXI: The scope of the Palestinian Council's authority and jurisdiction and the resolution of conflicts, the legislative powers of the Council, that "Israel and the Council shall exercise their powers and responsibilities ... with due regard to internationally-accepted norms and principles ofhuman rights and therule of law", the various rights, liabilities and obligations with the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the Israeli military government and its civil administration to the Palestinian Council, dealing with financial claims, and the settlement of differences and disputes.
Consisting of Articles XXII–XXVIII: Relations between Israel and the Council:
... shall accordingly abstain from incitement, including hostile propaganda, against each other ... that their respective educational systems contribute to the peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples and to peace in the entire region, and will refrain from the introduction of any motifs that could adversely affect the process of reconciliation ... cooperate in combating criminal activity which may affect both sides, including offenses related to trafficking in illegal drugs and psychotropic substances, smuggling, and offenses against property ...
The rules foreconomic relations as set out in theProtocol on Economic Relations, signed inParis on April 29, 1994, cooperation programs that will hopefully be developed, the role and functioning of theJoint Israeli-Palestinian Liaison Committee set up as part of theDeclaration of Principles (Oslo Accords 1993 and the setting up of aMonitoring and Steering Committee, liaison and cooperation withJordan and Egypt, and locating and returning missing persons and soldiersmissing in action.
Consisting of Articles XXIX–XXXI: Arrangements for safe passage of persons and transportation between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, coordination between Israel and the Council regarding passage to and from Egypt and Jordan as well as any other agreed international crossings, and then the final clauses dealing with the signing of the agreement, its implementation, that theGaza–Jericho Agreement (May 1994), the Preparatory Transfer Agreement (August 1994), and the Further Transfer Protocol (August 1995) will be superseded by this agreement, the need and timing of permanent status negotiations, and that:
The PLO undertakes that, within two months of the date of the inauguration of the Council, the Palestinian National Council will convene and formally approve the necessary changes in regard to the Palestinian Covenant, as undertaken in the letters signed by the Chairman of the PLO and addressed to the Prime Minister of Israel, dated September 9, 1993 and May 4, 1994.
Discussion about the release of Palestinian prisoners, agreement about the attached annexes and maps, and commencement of Israel's redeployment.
