The Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, commonly known as Oslo II or Oslo 2, was a key and complex agreement in the

Israeli–Palestinian peace process Intermittent discussions are held by various parties and proposals put forward in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict through a peace process. Since the 1970s, there has been a parallel effort made to find terms upon which ...

. Because it was signed in Taba, Egypt, it is sometimes called the Taba Agreement. The Oslo Accords envisioned the establishment of a Palestinian interim self-government in the Palestinian territories. Oslo II created the Areas A, B and C in the West Bank. The

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...

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 Resolutions 242 and 338. The Accord was officially signed on 28 September 1995.

Historical context

The Oslo II Accord was first signed in Taba (in the

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) by

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and the PLO on 24 September 1995 and then four days later on 28 September 1995 by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

and witnessed by US President

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as well as by representatives of

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, Jordan,

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, and the

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in Washington, D.C. The agreement is built on the foundations of the initial Oslo I Accord, formally called the ''Declaration 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 Gaza–Jericho Agreement or Cairo Agreement of 4 May 1994 * the Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities Between Israel and the PLO of 29 August 1994 * the Protocol on Further Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities of 27 August 1995 The Oslo II Accord is called an ''interim'' agreement because it was supposed to be the basis for subsequent negotiations and the preliminary of an eventual comprehensive peace agreement. Several additional agreements were concluded following Oslo II, but negotiations did not produce a final peace agreement. The 2002 Road map for peace abandoned the Oslo Accords and envisioned a rather loose scheme of withdrawal.

Aim of the agreement

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.1995 ''Oslo Interim Agreement''
Text of the Accord The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the main object of the Interim Agreement

Content of the agreement

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 of UN Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) and UN Security Council Resolution 338 (1973) the Madrid 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".

Chapter 1: 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 of

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, 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.

Chapter 2: Redeployment and security arrangements

Consisting of Articles X–XVI: Phases of the redeployment of the

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, roles of the Israeli Security Forces and the Israeli police, perspectives on the land of the

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and

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

, definition of the Areas 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 Palestinian

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Chapter 3: Legal affairs

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 of

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and the

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", 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.

Chapter 4: Cooperation

Consisting of Articles XXII–XXVIII: Relations between Israel and the Council: The rules for

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relations as set out in the Protocol on Economic Relations, signed in

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on April 29, 1994, cooperation programs that will hopefully be developed, the role and functioning of the ''Joint Israeli-Palestinian Liaison Committee'' set up as part of the ''Declaration of Principles'' ( Oslo Accords 1993 and the setting up of a ''Monitoring and Steering Committee'', liaison and cooperation with

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and Egypt, and locating and returning missing persons and soldiers

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Chapter 5: Miscellaneous provisions

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 the Gaza–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: Discussion about the release of Palestinian prisoners, agreement about the attached annexes and maps, and commencement of Israel's redeployment.

References

External links

*jewishvirtuallibrary.or
Full text of ''The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip''
*jewishvirtuallibrary.or

* ttp://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/3de5ebbc0.pdf Text at unhcrbr>''Presentation of the Accord in the Knesset by Rabin''
MFA, 5 October 1995

at AmericanRhetoric.com
Analysis of Interim Agreement – Reut Institute
{{Arab–Israeli diplomacy Israeli–Palestinian peace process Israel–United States relations Palestine–United States relations Treaties of Israel Treaties of Palestine Treaties concluded in 1995 Taxation in Palestine 1995 in Israel 1995 in Palestine 1995 in Egypt