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131-648: The NAD has two offices – one in Gaza and a second in Ramallah. The NAD office in Gaza is composed of units responsible for Israeli affairs, Israel’s violations of signed agreements, Israel’s colonization (illegal settlement policies), and Palestinian refugees. The Ramallah office is responsible for following up on the Interim Agreements and preparing Palestinian positions for the Permanent Status talks with Israel. The office

262-545: A normalization agreement . However, Syria pressured President Amine Gemayel into nullifying the truce in March 1984. By 1985, Israeli forces withdrew to a 15 km wide southern strip of Lebanon, following which the conflict continued on a lower scale, with relatively low casualties on both sides. In 1993 and 1996, Israel launched major operations against the Shiite militia of Hezbollah , which had become an emergent threat. In May 2000,

393-615: A peace agreement , which stipulated mutual cooperation, an end of hostilities, the fixing of the Israel-Jordan border, and a resolution of other issues. The conflict between them had cost roughly 18.3 billion dollars. Its signing is also closely linked with the efforts to create peace between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) representing the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). It

524-682: A peace treaty in March 1979. Under its terms, the Sinai Peninsula returned to Egyptian hands, and the Gaza Strip remained under Israeli control, to be included in a future Palestinian state . The agreement also provided for the free passage of Israeli ships through the Suez Canal and recognition of the Straits of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as international waterways. In October 1994, Israel and Jordan signed

655-593: A complicated system of roadblocks and checkpoints around major Palestinian areas to deter violence and protect Israeli settlements. However, since 2008, the IDF has slowly transferred authority to Palestinian security forces. Israel's then prime minister Ariel Sharon began a policy of disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2003. This policy was fully implemented in August 2005. Sharon's announcement to disengage from Gaza came as

786-464: A comprehensive peace agreement has been reached." Though the president later stressed that it could only be implemented with the cessation of terrorist attacks against Israel. His successor, Barack Obama expressed praise in the spirit, but not support of its details, for the Initiative in the first days of his presidency. In an interview with Al-Arabiya network on January 27, 2009, he said: Look at

917-664: A meeting with Arab leaders at the World Economic Forum in Jordan in May 2007 said that his government would mount a counter-proposal. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said that "Israel has no interest in stagnation and unfortunately, if the Arab initiative is take it or leave it, that will be a recipe for stagnation". In October 2008, it was reported that the Israeli government were considering

1048-413: A million, Palestinians would invade the country, that would be the end of the state of Israel as a Jewish state.... That's not why we created the state." Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also stated that month that "I'll never accept a solution that is based on their return to Israel, any number.... I will not agree to accept any kind of Israel responsibility for the refugees. Full stop.... It's a moral issue of

1179-701: A negotiated outcome between the two sides." However, Pulitzer Prize -winning columnist Thomas Friedman met Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in February 2002 and encouraged him to make the peace proposal. Only ten of the twenty-two leaders invited to the March 27 Arab League summit in Beirut , Lebanon attended. The missing included Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat , President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt , and King Abdullah of Jordan . Ariel Sharon's government , despite American and European pressure, had told Arafat that he would not be allowed to return if he left for

1310-514: A nonstarter and called then Defense Minister Ehud Barak's supportive remarks "an empty political gesture." In a recent study by Joshua Teitelbaum, for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs , he calls on Israel to reject the plan based on its "all or nothing" attitude, emphasizing that true peace will come with negotiations. Polls of the Palestinian people have generated large support for

1441-553: A promise from Arab leaders that they would be able to return when the war had been won, and also in part due to attacks on Palestinian villages and towns by Israeli forces and Jewish militant groups. During the war, official Israeli documents subsequently uncovered by Benny Morris and Benjamin Kedar have revealed that Israel conducted a biological warfare campaign codenamed "Cast Thy Bread" to covertly poison Palestinian wells to prevent villagers from returning. Many Palestinians fled from

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1572-551: A surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur , the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. The Israeli military were caught off guard and unprepared, and took about three days to fully mobilize. This led other Arab states to send troops to reinforce the Egyptians and Syrians. In addition, these Arab countries agreed to enforce an oil embargo on industrial nations including the U.S., Japan and Western European Countries. These OPEC countries increased

1703-628: A threat to their homeland and their identity as a people. Moreover, Jewish policies of purchasing land and prohibiting the employment of Arabs in Jewish-owned industries and farms greatly angered the Palestinian Arab communities. Demonstrations were held as early as 1920, protesting what the Arabs felt were unfair preferences for the Jewish immigrants set forth by the British mandate that governed Palestine at

1834-504: A tremendous shock to his critics both on the left and on the right. A year previously, he had commented that the fate of the most far-flung settlements in Gaza, Netzararem and Kfar Darom, was regarded in the same light as that of Tel Aviv. The formal announcements to evacuate seventeen Gaza settlements and another four in the West Bank in February 2004 represented the first reversal for the settler movement since 1968, dividing Sharon's party. It

1965-647: A unanimous resolution on March 30, Resolution 1402 , which criticized all sides: Expressing its grave concern at the further deterioration of the situation, including the recent suicide bombings in Israel and the military attack against the headquarters of the President of the Palestinian Authority, 1. Calls upon both parties to move immediately to a meaningful ceasefire; calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian cities, including Ramallah; and calls upon

2096-427: A unilateral one – does not advance peace, but rather establishes a terror base for radical Islam." In 2015 he elaborated: "there are positive aspects and negative aspects to it [the initiative]." While noting that the situation has changed in the 13 years since the deal was proposed, he asserted that "the general idea - to try and reach understandings with leading Arab countries - is a good idea." However, he objected to

2227-559: A war , between Israel and Hamas -ruled Gaza is also attributed to the Iran–Israel proxy conflict . By 2017, Israel and several Arab Sunni states led by Saudi Arabia formed a semi-official coalition to confront Iran. This move and the Israeli normalization with Gulf states was marked by some as the fading of the Arab–Israeli conflict. The roots of the modern Arab–Israeli conflict lie in

2358-658: Is a 10 sentence proposal for an end to the Arab–Israeli conflict that was endorsed by the Arab League in 2002 at the Beirut Summit and re-endorsed at the 2007 and at the 2017 Arab League summits. The initiative offers normalisation of relations by the Arab world with Israel, in return for a full withdrawal by Israel from the occupied territories (including the West Bank , Gaza ,

2489-548: Is an important one, but it is liable to founder if terrorism is not stopped. We cannot, of course, ignore the problematic aspects which arose at the Beirut Summit and the harsh and rejectionist [sic] language used by some of the speakers. It is also clear that the details of every peace plan must be discussed directly between Israel and the Palestinians, and to make this possible, the Palestinian Authority must put an end to terror,

2620-475: Is known as the Black September in Arab history and sometimes is referred to as the "era of regrettable events". It was a month when Hashemite King Hussein of Jordan moved to quash the autonomy of Palestinian organisations and restore his monarchy's rule over the country. The violence resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, the vast majority Palestinians. Armed conflict lasted until July 1971 with

2751-590: Is no chance whatsoever that the Saudi initiative will bring peace" and labeled it "a recipe for Israel's destruction". Kadima Chairperson Tzipi Livni has distanced herself from it given her uncompromising opposition to the return of the Palestinian refugees . In October 2008, Likud Knesset Member Yuval Steinitz , who served on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, referred to the 2007 initiative re-launch as

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2882-826: Is offered". The initiative calls for the establishment of a special committee composed of a portion of the Arab League's concerned member states and the Secretary General of the League of Arab States to pursue the necessary contacts to gain support for the initiative at all levels, particularly from the United Nations, the United Nations Security Council, the United States of America, the Russian Federation,

3013-426: Is prepared today to bring peace closer. Today." Israeli Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on April 21, 2009, that the plan is "a dangerous proposal, a recipe for the destruction of Israel." Likud party spokesperson Zalman Shoval said in March 2007 that Israel would never accept the return of refugees who had lived in pre-1967 Israeli territory, saying "If 300,000–400,000, or maybe

3144-467: Is the phenomenon involving political tension, military conflicts, and other disputes between various Arab countries and Israel , which escalated during the 20th century. The roots of the Arab–Israeli conflict have been attributed to the support by Arab League member countries for the Palestinians , a fellow League member, in the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict ; this in turn has been attributed to

3275-575: Is therefore structured into six units: Israeli Affairs, Research and Information, Interim Agreement, Permanent Status, Public Relations, and Administrative and Finance. In late 1998 the NAD approached the Government of the United Kingdom seeking technical assistance to its preparations for Permanent Status talks. The U.K. Department for International Development consequently agreed to support the establishment of

3406-493: Is unique in terms of the comprehensive “payoff” it offers Israel and, with regard to refugees, both the absence of any direct mention of the right of return and the recognition that Israel's agreement to a solution must be solicited. It represents huge progress from the days in 1967". American-Israeli journalist Caroline B. Glick , editor of the English-language Jerusalem Post said in March 2007 that "there

3537-741: The 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine . In response to Arab pressure, the British Mandate authorities greatly reduced the number of Jewish immigrants to Palestine (see White Paper of 1939 and the SS ; Exodus ). These restrictions remained in place until the end of the mandate, a period which coincided with the Nazi Holocaust and the flight of Jewish refugees from Europe. As a consequence, most Jewish entrants to Mandatory Palestine were considered illegal (see Aliyah Bet ), causing further tensions in

3668-694: The Egyptian Air Force in a surprise attack, then turned east to destroy the Jordanian, Syrian and Iraqi air forces. This strike was the crucial element in Israel's victory in the Six-Day War . At the war's end, Israel had gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem ), Shebaa farms , and the Golan Heights. The results of the war affect the geopolitics of

3799-627: The Free Lebanon Army forced the PLO to retreat north of the Litani river. In 1981 another conflict between Israel and the PLO broke out, which ended with a ceasefire agreement that did not solve the core of the conflict. In June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon in alliance with Christian factions of the Lebanese government. Within two months the PLO agreed to withdraw thence. In March 1983, Israel and Lebanon signed

3930-511: The Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula. The United States and the United Nations soon pressured it into a ceasefire. Israel agreed to withdraw from Egyptian territory. Egypt agreed to freedom of navigation in the region and the demilitarization of the Sinai. The United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was created and deployed to oversee the demilitarization. The UNEF was only deployed on the Egyptian side of

4061-487: The Gaza Strip , was deeply divided, while later reports indicate that Hamas accepted the peace initiative. The Israeli government under Ariel Sharon rejected the initiative as a "non-starter" because it required Israel to withdraw to pre-June 1967 borders. In 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed tentative support for the Initiative, but in 2018, he rejected it as a basis for future negotiations with

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4192-515: The Golan Heights , and Lebanon ), with the possibility of comparable and mutual agreed minor swaps of the land between Israel and Palestine, a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee problem based on UN Resolution 194 , and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. A Palestinian attack called the Passover massacre took place on 27 March 2002, the day before

4323-469: The Gulf War in 1991, Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles into Israel, in the hopes of uniting the Arab world against the coalition which sought to liberate Kuwait . At the behest of the United States, Israel did not respond to this attack in order to prevent a greater outbreak of war. In 1970, following an extended civil war , King Hussein expelled the Palestine Liberation Organization from Jordan. September 1970

4454-603: The Gulf of Aqaba , in contravention of the Constantinople Convention of 1888 . Many argued that this was also a violation of the 1949 Armistice Agreements . On 26 July 1956, Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal Company , and closed the canal to Israeli shipping. Israel responded on 29 October 1956, by invading the Sinai Peninsula with British and French military support. During the Suez Crisis , Israel captured

4585-823: The Jewish People's Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum and approved a proclamation that declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel , to be known as the State of Israel . The declaration was made by David Ben-Gurion , the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization . There was no mention of the borders of the new state other than that it was in Eretz Israel. An official cablegram from

4716-696: The Munich Olympics Massacre in 1972, and the Entebbe Hostage Taking in 1976, with over 100 Jewish hostages of different nationalities kidnapped and held in Uganda. In December 1987, the First Intifada began. The First Intifada was a mass Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule in the Palestinian territories . The rebellion began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza and

4847-552: The Palestinian Liberation Organization from Lebanon . With the decline of the 1987–1993 First Intifada , the interim Oslo Accords led to the creation of the Palestinian National Authority in 1994, within the context of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process . The same year, Israel and Jordan reached a peace accord. In 2002, the Arab League offered recognition of Israel by Arab countries as part of

4978-428: The Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, returning the region to the way it was in 1956 when Israel was blockaded. On 30 May 1967, Jordan signed a mutual defense pact with Egypt. Egypt mobilized Sinai units, crossing UN lines (after having expelled the UN border monitors) and mobilized and massed on Israel's southern border. On 5 June, Israel launched an attack on Egypt. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) destroyed most of

5109-415: The West Bank and Gaza Strip , in favor of Israeli Civil Administration and consequent unilateral annexation of the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem . The nature of the conflict has shifted over the years from the large-scale, regional Arab–Israeli conflict to a more local Israeli–Palestinian conflict, which peaked during the 1982 Lebanon War when Israel intervened in the Lebanese Civil War to oust

5240-399: The al-Aqsa Intifada beginning in September 2000. In fall 2002, the Bush administration strenuously tried to push a temporary cease-fire in the intifada to give breathing room for the Beirut summit but failed to achieve an agreement. However, the presence of American negotiator Anthony Zinni in Israel led to a lull in the conflict for the two weeks before the summit. During this period,

5371-414: The government of Syria , which insisted on letting the Palestinians pursue armed resistance. It also objected to the use of the term "normalization" and insisted that any such offer was too generous to Israel. The government of Lebanon expressed concerns that some of its Palestinian refugees would try to settle where they are, which it strongly opposes. A suicide bomber killed 30 Israelis in Netanya

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5502-451: The 1990s and early 2000s, a ceasefire had been largely maintained between Israel and Syria , while limited warfare continued in Lebanon against Iranian proxy militias. Despite the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan , the interim peace accords with the Palestinian Authority and the generally existing ceasefire, until the mid-2010s the Arab League and Israel had remained at odds with each other over many issues. Among Arab belligerents in

5633-471: The Arab Peace Initiative, and has urged Israel to support it on several occasions. Most recently, in an October 19, 2008, statement, Erekat said that "I think Israel should have [supported the Initiative] since 2002. It is the most strategic initiative that came from the Arab world since 1948.... I urge them to revisit this initiative and to go with it because it will shorten the way to peace." Arab%E2%80%93Israeli conflict The Arab–Israeli conflict

5764-450: The Arab World in December 1947, and Jewish communities were hit particularly hard in Aleppo and British-controlled Aden , with hundreds of dead and injured. In Libya , Jews were deprived of citizenship, and in Iraq, their property was seized. Egypt expelled most of its foreign community, including Jews, after the Suez War in 1956, while Algeria denied its French citizens, including Jews, of citizenship upon its independence in 1962. Over

5895-411: The Arab countries and Israel to live in peace and good neighborliness, and provide future generations with security, stability and prosperity." These expressions in the Arab peace initiative are inspirational and promising – a serious opening for real progress. At the 2009 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference, President Shimon Peres expressed satisfaction at the "u-turn" in

6026-527: The Arab nations from part of the occupied territories, thus extending its borders beyond the original UNSCOP partition. By December 1948, Israel controlled most of the portion of Mandate Palestine west of the Jordan River . The remainder of the Mandate consisted of Jordan, the area that came to be called the West Bank (controlled by Jordan), and the Gaza Strip (controlled by Egypt). Before and during this conflict, 713,000 Palestinian Arabs fled their original lands to become Palestinian refugees , in part due to

6157-425: The Arab states and for Israel to withdraw from territories taken during the war , was enacted on November 22, 1967, and faced initial rejection by most of the Arab world . The peace initiative marked a major shift from the 1967 position. Like most peace plans since 1967, it was based on UN Security Council Resolution 242 . It followed the July 2000 Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David which ended in failure and

6288-436: The Arab states will do the following: (a) Consider the Arab–Israeli conflict over, sign a peace agreement with Israel, and achieve peace for all states in the region; (b) Establish normal relations with Israel within the framework of this comprehensive peace. Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia made a speech to the Arab League on the day of its adoption saying that: In spite of all that has happened and what still may happen,

6419-402: The Beirut Summit that "the major problem with it is that it only called upon Israel to do a series of things and there was no call upon the Palestinians to stop terrorism." BBC News stated that the 2007 re-adoption prompted a more supportive response from the government than the initial 2002 initiative, which ended up being "rejected... outright after it was first proposed". Shimon Peres in

6550-476: The Beirut summit. The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack and Arafat personally ordered the arrests of militants associated with Hamas, Islamic Jihad , and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades as a response. However, Ariel Sharon blamed Arafat for the attack as well. An Israeli government spokesperson stated that "[t]here ain't going to be any negotiations under fire". Another government spokesperson, Raanan Gissin , said that Israel would continue to pursue

6681-406: The British in 1923 included what is today Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip . Transjordan eventually was carved into a separate British protectorate – the Emirate of Transjordan, which gained an autonomous status in 1928 and achieved complete independence in 1946 with the approval by the United Nations of the end of the British Mandate. A major crisis among the Arab nationalists took place with

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6812-561: The Bush administration hoped to draw attention away from the Iraq disarmament crisis that would later escalate into the 2003 invasion of Iraq . Some reporters were skeptical about the summit's prospects. Robert Fisk explained the absence of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah : "they can smell a dead rat from quite a long way away." On March 14, analyst Shai Feldman stated on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer that "[t]here's little hope that negotiations will pick up or that negotiations will eventually succeed in bringing about

6943-426: The General Assembly on 3 September 1947. The Report contained a majority and a minority plan. The majority proposed a Plan of Partition with Economic Union . The minority proposed The Independent State of Palestine . With only slight modifications, the Plan of Partition with Economic Union was the one the adoption and implementation of which was recommended in resolution 181(II) of 29 November 1947. The Resolution

7074-508: The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace in Jerusalem found that only 36% of Israelis support the plan. A June 2008 Angus Reid Global Monitor poll found that about 67% of Palestinians and 39% of Israelis support it. In 2007 Benjamin Netanyahu who in 2009 would for the second time become Prime Minister of Israel rejected the Initiative. He told visiting Arab foreign ministers that "The withdrawal from Gaza two years ago proved that any Israeli withdrawal – particularly

7205-401: The Initiative was published, which initially overshadowed it. The Palestinian Authority led by Yasser Arafat immediately embraced the initiative. His successor Mahmoud Abbas also supported the plan and officially asked U.S. President Barack Obama to adopt it as part of his Middle East policy. Initial reports indicate that Islamist political party Hamas , the elected government of

7336-406: The Initiative's calls for Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights and to repatriate Palestinian refugees. In 2018, Netanyahu rejected the Arab Peace Initiative as a basis for negotiations with the Palestinians. On March 28, 2002, then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said: Israel views positively every initiative aimed at arriving at peace and normalization. In this respect, the Saudi step

7467-402: The Israel-Palestinian conflict was at a crossroads where "either we move towards a real peace or see an escalation in the situation". During the summit, King Abdullah denounced the United States-led occupation of Iraq ; his comments may have been in response to a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking the Arab world to "begin reaching out to Israel". He also called on

7598-433: The Israeli blockade of Gaza to end, saying that "It has become necessary to end the unjust blockade imposed on the Palestinian people as soon as possible so that the peace process can move in an atmosphere far from oppression and force." The American and Israel governments had been heavily pushing the Arab states to cut their support for Hamas before the summit began. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon attended

7729-472: The Israeli–Palestinian conflict) on American soil. In 1969, Egypt initiated the War of Attrition , with the goal of exhausting Israel into surrendering the Sinai Peninsula. The war ended following Gamal Abdel Nasser 's death in 1970. Once Sadat took over, he tried to forge positive relations with the US, hoping that they would put pressure on Israel to return the land, by expelling 15,000 Russian advisors from Egypt. On 6 October 1973, Syria and Egypt staged

7860-436: The Jordan, leading to growing conflict between Israel and Syria. The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) was first established in 1964, under a charter including a commitment to "[t]he liberation of Palestine [which] will destroy the Zionist and imperialist presence..." (PLO Charter, Article 22, 1968). On 19 May 1967, Egypt expelled UNEF observers, and deployed 100,000 soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. It again closed

7991-485: The Legal & Policy Department and the Communications Department. The Legal & Policy Department has three objectives. The first is to strengthen and refine existing Palestinian negotiation positions. The second is to develop new positions where no policy previously existed. The third is to contribute to interim initiatives intended either to lead Palestine and Israel out of the current political crisis and towards resumption of permanent status negotiations or to minimize

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8122-430: The London Conference and before the United Nations mainly, the only fair and just solution to the problem of Palestine is the creation of United State of Palestine based upon the democratic principles ... That day, the armies of Egypt , Lebanon, Syria , Jordan and Iraq invaded what had just ceased to be the British Mandate, marking the beginning of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War . The nascent Israeli Defense Force repulsed

8253-404: The Middle East is the strategic option of the Arab countries." This is Israel's strategy as well. It continues that its goals are to: "...consider the Arab–Israeli conflict ended, and enter into a peace agreement with Israel, and provide security for all the states in the region. Establish normal relations with Israel in the context of comprehensive peace. Stop the further shedding of blood, enabling

8384-400: The Muslim states and the European Union . This special commission would also consist of delegations from both Egypt and Jordan on behalf of the Arab world. Initially, the initiative was met with enthusiastic support from the Bush administration. According to Bush's spokesperson Ari Fleischer "the president praised the crown prince's ideas regarding the full Arab-Israeli normalization once

8515-403: The Negotiations Support Project in Ramallah. The purpose of the Negotiations Support Project is to provide highly professional legal, policy and communications advice to the NAD and Palestinian negotiators in preparation for, and during, Permanent Status negotiations with Israel. Following the collapse of formal negotiations at the outset of 2001, an additional purpose of the project is to encourage

8646-406: The Ottoman Empire, which was aligned with Germany against Britain and France in the war. McMahon promised that if the Arabs supported Britain in the war, the British government would support establishing an independent Arab state under Hashemite rule in the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire, including Palestine. The Arab revolt, led by T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") and Husayn's son Faysal,

8777-617: The PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, while the PLO recognized the right of the state of Israel to exist and renounced terrorism, violence and its desire for the destruction of Israel . The Oslo II agreement was signed in 1995 and detailed the division of the West Bank into Areas A, B, and C . Area A was land under full Palestinian civilian control, and Palestinians were also responsible for internal security. The Oslo agreements remain important documents in Israeli–Palestinian relations. The Al-Aqsa Intifada forced Israel to rethink its relationship and policies towards

8908-554: The Palestinian positions on permanent status issues and interim initiatives, to mobilize local and international civil society organizations to undertake advocacy on behalf of those positions, and to overcome misperceptions held by the Israeli public concerning Palestinian goals and intentions towards Israel. In essence the Department publicizes and explains Palestinian negotiation positions in order to confront and balance out alternative misleading narratives, thereby creating an atmosphere that will both allow negotiations to occur and increase

9039-450: The Palestinians. The Arab League summit held after the Six-Day War , during which Israel occupied large swathes of Arab territory, established the Khartoum Resolution on September 1, 1967. It contained the "three noes" that was to be the center of all Israeli-Arab relations after that point: No peace deals, no diplomatic recognitions, and no negotiations. UN Security Council Resolution 242 , which called for normalization of Israel with

9170-423: The Palestinians. Following a series of suicide bombings and attacks, the Israeli army launched Operation Defensive Shield in March 2002. It was the largest military operation conducted by Israel since the Six-Day War. As violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian militants intensified, Israel expanded its security apparatus around the West Bank by re-taking many parts of land in Area A. Israel established

9301-440: The Saudi offer and Defense Minister Ehud Barak again suggested a counter-proposal. But so far, no Israeli government has made any formal counter-proposal. In terms of public opinion, the Oxford Research Group has reported that attitudes range "between those who have never heard of it, and those who don't believe a word of it." A November–December 2008 poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah and

9432-689: The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States to the UN Secretary-General on 15 May 1948 stated publicly that Arab Governments found "themselves compelled to intervene for the sole purpose of restoring peace and security and establishing law and order in Palestine" (Clause 10(e)). Further in Clause 10(e): The Governments of the Arab States hereby confirm at this stage the view that had been repeatedly declared by them on previous occasions, such as

9563-606: The Syrian Golan Heights, to the 4 June 1967 line and the territories still occupied in southern Lebanon; (b) Attain a just solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees to be agreed upon in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution No 194 . (c) Accept the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories occupied since 4 June 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital. In return

9694-630: The West Bank. Palestinian actions ranged from civil disobedience to violence. In addition to general strikes, boycotts on Israeli products, graffiti and barricades, Palestinian demonstrations that included stone-throwing by youths against the Israel Defense Forces brought the Intifada international attention. The Israeli army's heavy handed response to the demonstrations, with live ammunition, beatings and mass arrests, brought international condemnation. The PLO, which until then had never been recognised as

9825-518: The ads and only 14% actually read them. Peace Now reciprocated the PLO's gesture by running its own ads in the Palestinian press. After the 2007 summit, Mahmoud Abbas said that "This initiative simply says to Israel 'leave the occupied territories and you will live in a sea of peace that begins in Nouakchott and ends in Indonesia'". Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has offered his full support of

9956-692: The aftermath of the Great Arab Revolt during World War I . During the closing years of their empire, the Ottomans began to espouse their Turkish ethnic identity, asserting the primacy of Turks within the empire, leading to discrimination against the Arabs. The promise of liberation from the Ottomans led many Jews and Arabs to support the allied powers during World War I, leading to the emergence of widespread Arab nationalism. Both Arab nationalism and Zionism had their formulative beginning in Europe. The Zionist Congress

10087-516: The areas that are now Israel as a response to massacres of Arab towns by militant Jewish organizations like the Irgun and the Lehi (group) (See Deir Yassin massacre ). The War came to an end with the signing of the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and each of its Arab neighbours. The status of Jewish citizens in Arab states worsened during the 1948 Israeli-Arab war. Anti-Jewish riots erupted throughout

10218-418: The attitudes of Arab states toward peace with Israel as reflected in the Saudi initiative, though he did qualify his comments by saying: "Israel wasn't a partner to the wording of this initiative. Therefore it doesn't have to agree to every word." Nevertheless, Israel respects the profound change, and hopes it will be translated into action," Peres added. "I trust that the leadership of President Obama will pave

10349-448: The border, as Israel refused to allow them on its territory. Israel completed work on a national water carrier in 1964, a huge engineering project designed to transfer Israel's allocation of the Jordan river 's waters towards the south of the country in realization of Ben-Gurion's dream of mass Jewish settlement of the Negev desert. The Arabs responded by trying to divert the headwaters of

10480-485: The cease-fire but that "when we will feel that we have exhausted all the possibilities of achieving such a cease-fire, then of course we will take all the necessary measures in order to defend our citizens." The Passover Massacre as well as other attacks lead to an escalation of the al-Aqsa Intifada and helped falter the initiative. The violence led the United Nations Security Council to issue

10611-628: The city of Hebron , in what became known as the Hebron massacre . During the week of the 1929 riots, at least 116 Arabs and 133 Jews were killed and 339 wounded. By 1931, 17 percent of the population of Mandatory Palestine were Jews, an increase of six percent since 1922. Jewish immigration peaked soon after the Nazis came to power in Germany, causing the Jewish population in British Palestine to double. In

10742-500: The civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine". The Declaration was issued as a result of the belief of key members of the government, including Prime Minister David Lloyd George , that Jewish support was essential to winning the war; however, the declaration caused great disquiet in the Arab world. After the war, the area came under British rule as the British Mandate of Palestine . The area mandated to

10873-501: The collapse of the pan-Arabist kingdom led to the establishment of the local Palestinian version of Arab nationalism, with the return of Amin al-Husseini from Damascus to Jerusalem in late 1920. At this point in time Jewish immigration to Mandatory Palestine continued, while to some opinions a similar, but less documented, immigration also took place in the Arab sector, bringing workers from Syria and other neighbouring areas. Palestinian Arabs saw this rapid influx of Jewish immigrants as

11004-480: The conflict, Iraq and Syria are the only states who have reached no formal peace accord or treaty with Israel, with both supporting Iran. The Syrian civil war reshuffled the situation near Israel's northern border, putting the ruling Syrian government, Hezbollah and the Syrian opposition at odds with each other and complicating their relations with Israel upon the emerging warfare with Iran. The conflict, since 2023

11135-727: The contrary, we said we will endorse and enter a dialogue with the Saudis or anyone else – indeed in the entire Arab world – if they are serious on the normalization issue. The thing is, that life in the Middle East has taught us to be extremely skeptical and extremely wary of these kind of declarations until they are actually delivered in the Arabic language. Yossi Alpher , a political consultant and writer and former senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said in November 2008 that: "The initiative

11266-426: The course of twenty years, some 850,000 Jews from Arab countries immigrated to Israel and other countries. As a result of Israel's victory in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , any Arabs caught on the wrong side of the ceasefire line were unable to return to their homes in what became Israel. Likewise, any Jews on the West Bank or in Gaza were exiled from their property and homes to Israel. Today's Palestinian refugees are

11397-481: The damage inflicted by continuing Israeli actions on the likelihood of a fair and sustainable outcome to permanent status negotiations. The Department provides advice on the permanent status issues (security, settlements, Jerusalem, refugees, borders and water), as well as other issues (economic relations, compensation, agriculture, tourism, health, transport, energy, telecommunications and archaeology). The Communications Department aims to explain and increase support for

11528-450: The descendants of those who left, the responsibility for their exodus being a matter of dispute between the Israeli and the Palestinian side. Historian Benny Morris has claimed that the "decisive cause" for the abandonment by Palestinian Arabs of their settlements was predominantly related to, or caused by, actions of the Jewish forces (citing actual physical expulsions, military assaults on settlements, fear of being caught up in fighting,

11659-511: The expulsion of the PLO and thousands of Palestinian fighters to Lebanon. The PLO resettled in Lebanon, where it began to extend a de facto autonomous rule and from which it staged raids into Israel. PLO was one of the major factors for sectarian destabilization of Lebanon and the eruption of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975. In 1978, Israel launched Operation Litani , in which it together with

11790-730: The failed establishment of the Arab Kingdom of Syria in 1920. With the disastrous outcome of the Franco-Syrian War , the self-proclaimed Hashemite kingdom with its capital in Damascus was defeated and the Hashemite ruler took refuge in Mandatory Iraq. The crisis saw the first confrontation of nationalist Arab and Jewish forces, taking place in the Battle of Tel Hai in March 1920, but more importantly

11921-408: The fall of nearby settlements, and propaganda inciting flight), while abandonment due to orders by the Arab leadership was decisive in only six out of the 392 depopulated Arab settlements analysed by him. Over 700,000 Jews emigrated to Israel between 1948 and 1952, with approximately 285,000 of them from Arab countries. In 1956, Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, and blockaded

12052-457: The highest level. I don't think that we should accept any kind of responsibility for the creation of this problem." In general, however, Olmert has described the initiative as a "revolutionary change". The day before, the Israeli consul general in New York City had said: Look, the Saudi idea has a lot of positive elements in it, which is why we have never dismissed it at face value.... Quite

12183-577: The horrifying expression of which we witnessed just last night in Netanya. On November 12, 2008, Peres reiterated his support for the initiative at the UN General Assembly Meeting on Inter-Faith Dialogue: The Arab peace initiative states that: "A military solution to the conflict will not achieve peace or provide security for the parties." Israel agrees with that assumption. Further on, the initiative states that: "A just and comprehensive peace in

12314-503: The initiative into its Middle East policy. Israeli officials have made many different responses ranging from positive, to neutral, to negative. When the plan came out in 2002, the Israeli government rejected the initiative, on the grounds that it would result in the return of a large number of Palestinian refugees into Israel. Israel expressed reservations on "red line" issues on which it stated that it would not compromise. Oslo Agreement negotiator Joel Singer commented shortly after

12445-440: The initiative served as a proposal up for further negotiations rather than a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum for both sides. PLO negotiations chief Saeb Erekat refused to accept anything other than the summit's draft and ruled out any negotiations that could alter it. In contrast, Saudi Foreign Minister Saudi al-Faisal said that members have "to take notice of new developments, which require additions and developments in whatever

12576-622: The leaders of the Palestinian people by Israel, was invited to peace negotiations the following year, after it recognized Israel and renounced terrorism. In mid-1993, Israeli and Palestinian representatives engaged in peace talks in Oslo, Norway. As a result, in September 1993, Israel and the PLO signed the Oslo Accords , known as the Declaration of Principles or Oslo I. In side letters , Israel recognized

12707-415: The likelihood of a fair and sustainable outcome. The Department achieves its goals through a range of communications activities such as providing briefings to international journalists, parliamentarians and representatives of civil society; facilitating their access to the PLO leadership; providing communications advice to that leadership; publishing fact sheets, maps, and newsletters on key topics; maintaining

12838-525: The mid-1930s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam arrived from Syria and established the Black Hand , an anti-Zionist and anti-British militant organization. He recruited and arranged military training for peasants, and by 1935 he had enlisted between 200 and 800 men. The cells were equipped with bombs and firearms, which they used to kill Jewish settlers in the area, as well as engaging in a campaign of vandalism of Jewish settler plantations. By 1936, escalating tensions led to

12969-474: The neighbouring Arab countries invaded the by-then former Mandate territory in May 1948, commencing the First Arab–Israeli War . Large-scale hostilities mostly ended with ceasefire agreements after the 1973 Yom Kippur War . Peace agreements were signed between Israel and Egypt in 1979, resulting in Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula and the abolition of the military governance system in

13100-542: The newly elected government of Ehud Barak authorized a withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, fulfilling an election promise to do so well ahead of a declared deadline. The hasty withdrawal lead to the immediate collapse of the South Lebanon Army , and many members either got arrested or fled to Israel. The 1970s were marked by a large number of major, international terrorist attacks, including the Lod Airport massacre and

13231-622: The parties to cooperate fully with Special Envoy Zinni, and others, to implement the Tenet security work plan as a first step towards implementation of the Mitchell Committee recommendations, with the aim of resuming negotiations on a political settlement With the exception of Libya , all leaders from the Arab League's 22 member states attended the two-day summit in Riyadh , the capital of Saudi Arabia , from March 28, to March 29, 2007. The initiative

13362-479: The partition plan cannot be carried out at this time by peaceful means. ... unless emergency action is taken, there will be no public authority in Palestine on that date capable of preserving law and order. Violence and bloodshed will descend upon the Holy Land. Large-scale fighting among the people of that country will be the inevitable result. On 14 May 1948, the day on which the British Mandate over Palestine expired,

13493-558: The people of the region and allow the region to pursue development rather than war. In light of the above, and with your backing and that of the Almighty, I propose that the Arab summit put forward a clear and unanimous initiative addressed to the United Nations security council based on two basic issues: normal relations and security for Israel in exchange for full withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories, recognition of an independent Palestinian state with al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital, and

13624-615: The plan. Support decreased slightly after the Gaza War . However, the majority is still in favor. The Arab Peace Plan has received the full support of Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority , which even took the unprecedented step of placing advertisements in Israeli newspapers on November 20, 2008, to promote it. The Palestinian Authority published full-page notices in Hebrew in four major Israeli daily newspapers, which reproduced

13755-638: The price of oil fourfold, and used it as a political weapon to gain support against Israel. The Yom Kippur War accommodated indirect confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union. When Israel had turned the tide of war, the USSR threatened military intervention. The United States, wary of nuclear war , secured a ceasefire on 25 October. Following the Camp David Accords of the late 1970s, Israel and Egypt signed

13886-412: The primary issue in the heart and mind of every person in our Arab Islamic nation is the restoration of legitimate rights in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.... We believe in taking up arms in self-defence and to deter aggression. But we also believe in peace when it is based on justice and equity, and when it brings an end to conflict. Only within the context of true peace can normal relations flourish between

14017-452: The proposal that was put forth by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. I might not agree with every aspect of the proposal, but it took great courage to put forward something that is as significant as that. I think that there are ideas across the region of how we might pursue peace. George Mitchell , then the United States special envoy to the Middle East, announced in March 2009 that President Barack Obama 's administration intends to "incorporate"

14148-541: The region to this day. At the end of August 1967, Arab leaders met in Khartoum in response to the war, to discuss the Arab position toward Israel. They reached consensus that there should be no recognition, no peace, and no negotiations with the State of Israel, the so-called "three no's", which according to Abd al Azim Ramadan, left only one option – a war with Israel. In 1968, American senator Robert F. Kennedy

14279-623: The region. Following several failed attempts to solve the problem diplomatically, the British asked the newly formed United Nations for help. On 15 May 1947, the General Assembly appointed a committee, the UNSCOP , composed of representatives from eleven states. To make the committee more neutral, none of the Great Powers were represented. After five weeks of in-country study, the Committee reported to

14410-525: The resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in the Arab Peace Initiative . The initiative, which has been reconfirmed since, calls for normalizing relations between the Arab League and Israel, in exchange for a full withdrawal by Israel from the occupied territories (including East Jerusalem) and a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee problem based on UN Resolution 194 . In

14541-635: The resumption of Permanent Status negotiations by contributing to a variety of diplomatic initiatives aimed at bringing the two sides back together. Following the establishment of the Negotiations Support Project, the governments of Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden also agreed to support the project. Since that time, these five governments have continuously provided funding to the project and have committed to doing so until today. The Negotiations Support Project has two main departments:

14672-479: The return of refugees. The initiative refers to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 , which emphasizes the return of Palestinian refugees to Israel. In a compromise wording, it states that the League supports any negotiated settlement between Israel and Palestinians and does not mention the term "right of return" . Although the Initiative was adopted unanimously, there was some debate on certain issues. The summit leaders faced stiff opposition from

14803-416: The same day the Initiative was launched. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack and its leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin said that the attack sent "a message to the Arab summit to confirm that the Palestinian people continue to struggle for the land and to defend themselves no matter what measures the enemy takes." The Arab League said that it did not think that the perpetrators planned the bombing to derail

14934-533: The simultaneous rise of Zionism and Arab nationalism towards the end of the 19th century, though the two national movements had not clashed until the 1920s. Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict arose from the conflicting claims by these movements to the land that formed the British Mandatory Palestine , which was regarded by the Jewish people as their ancestral homeland , while at the same time it

15065-502: The summit, saying "the Arab peace initiative is one of the pillars of the peace process... [it] sends a signal that the Arabs are serious about achieving peace." European Union foreign policy leader Javier Solana observed the proceedings and expressed the EU's support for the decision, saying that "[f]ailure to rise to today's challenges will put the Middle East risk of missing the train of human and economic development". He also emphasized that

15196-404: The summit. The lack of participation led Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporter Tim Palmer to label the summit "emasculated". The Arab League members unanimously endorsed the peace initiative on March 27. It consists of a comprehensive proposal to end the entire Arab–Israeli conflict. It provides in a relevant part: (a) Complete withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories, including

15327-611: The tensions between Zionism and Palestinian nationalism ; the latter having risen in response to Zionism towards the end of the 19th century. Territory regarded by the Jewish people as their historical homeland is also considered by the Pan-Arab movement as historically and presently belonging to the Arab Palestinians . Palestine had been under the control of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 400 years, until its partitioning in

15458-575: The territory allocated by the UN to the Jewish State, creating a large number of refugees and capturing the towns of Tiberias , Haifa , Safad , Beisan and, in effect, Jaffa . Early in 1948 the United Kingdom announced its firm intention to terminate its mandate in Palestine on 14 May. In response, US President Harry S. Truman made a statement on 25 March proposing UN trusteeship rather than partition, stating that unfortunately, it has become clear that

15589-652: The text of the Initiative in full and added that "Fifty-seven Arab and Islamic countries will establish diplomatic ties and normal relations with Israel in return for a full peace agreement and an end to the occupation." A November–December poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah and the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace in Jerusalem found that only 25% of Israelis saw

15720-623: The time. This resentment led to outbreaks of violence later that year, as the al-Husseini incited riots broke out in Jerusalem. Winston Churchill 's 1922 White Paper tried to reassure the Arab population, denying that the creation of a Jewish state was the intention of the Balfour Declaration. In 1929 , after a demonstration by Vladimir Jabotinsky 's political group Betar at the Western Wall , riots started in Jerusalem and expanded throughout Mandatory Palestine; Arabs murdered 67 Jews in

15851-598: The walled area and had a population of only a few tens of thousands. Collective farms, known as kibbutzim , were established, as was the first entirely Jewish city in modern times, Tel Aviv . During 1915–16, as World War I was underway, the British High Commissioner in Egypt, Sir Henry McMahon, secretly corresponded with Husayn ibn 'Ali , the patriarch of the Hashemite family and Ottoman governor of Mecca and Medina. McMahon convinced Husayn to lead an Arab revolt against

15982-418: The way to both to a regional agreement and meaningful bilateral negotiations." "Israel stands with her arms outstretched, and her hands held open to peace with all nations, with all Arab states, with all Arab people." the president declared. "To those still holding a clenched fist I have just one word to say: Enough. Enough war. Enough destruction. Enough hatred. Now is the time for change," said Peres. Israel

16113-401: The website of the NAD; lobbying editorial boards of international media organizations to ensure accurate reporting; building an email distribution list for NAD materials, and undertaking outreach activities in the United States, Europe and Israel. In November 2008, PLO's Negotiations Department published ads promoting the Arab Peace Initiative in Israeli dailies. According to Yossi Alpher it

16244-530: Was assassinated following a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles , California. The assassin, Sirhan Sirhan , was a Palestinian-Jordanian Arab Christian who cited Kennedy's support for Israel during the Six-Day War as his motive for the killing; Sirhan was sentenced to life in prison. Some scholars described Kennedy's murder as the first spillover of the Arab–Israeli conflict (and in particular

16375-457: Was adopted by 33 votes to 13 with 10 abstentions. All six Arab states who were UN-members voted against it. On the ground, Arab and Jewish Palestinians were fighting openly to control strategic positions in the region. Several major atrocities were committed by both sides. In the weeks prior to the end of the mandate the Haganah launched a number of offensives in which they gained control over all

16506-590: Was established in Basel in 1897, while the "Arab Club" was established in Paris in 1906. In the late 19th century European and Middle Eastern Jewish communities began to increasingly immigrate to Palestine and purchase land from the local Ottoman landlords. The population of the late 19th century in Palestine reached 600,000 – mostly Muslim Arabs, but also significant minorities of Jews, Christians, Druze and some Samaritans and Baháʼís . At that time, Jerusalem did not extend beyond

16637-401: Was fully re-endorsed by all members but the delegate from Hamas, then- Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh , abstained. In contrast, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas voted in favor. The initiative itself was left unchanged during its re-adoption. Until the eve of the summit, members had refused to consider altering any part of it. Arab League head Amr Moussa stated that

16768-527: Was regarded by the Pan-Arab movement as historically and currently belonging to the Palestinians, and in the Pan-Islamic context, as Muslim lands . The sectarian conflict within the British Mandate territory between Palestinian Jews and Arabs escalated into a full-scale Palestinian civil war in 1947 . Taking the side of the Palestinians, especially following the Israeli Declaration of Independence ,

16899-550: Was signed at the southern border crossing of Arabah on 26 October 1994 and made Jordan only the second Arab country (after Egypt) to sign a peace accord with Israel. Israel and Iraq have been implacable foes since 1948. Iraq sent its troops to participate in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , and later backed Egypt and Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In June 1981, Israel attacked and destroyed newly built Iraqi nuclear facilities in Operation Opera . During

17030-529: Was successful in defeating the Ottomans, and Britain took control over much of this area. In 1917, Palestine was conquered by the British forces (including the Jewish Legion ). The British government issued the Balfour Declaration , which stated that the government viewed favorably "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people" but "that nothing shall be done which may prejudice

17161-466: Was the first time a leading Arab institution published a "peace ad" in the Israeli press. In response, the Israeli activist group Peace Now published ads in Palestinian press. Arab Peace Initiative The Arab Peace Initiative ( Arabic : مبادرة السلام العربية ; Hebrew : יוזמת השלום הערבית ), also known as the Saudi Initiative ( Arabic : مبادرة السعودية ; Hebrew : היוזמה הסעודית ),

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