Oslo Accords Signed

Setting the scene

The Oslo Accords were signed on September 13, 1993, on the White House lawn, with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shaking hands, mediated by President Bill Clinton. The accords were the result of secret negotiations in Oslo, Norway, beginning in January 1993, between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. The accords established the framework for Palestinian self-government.

What happened

The Declaration of Principles created the Palestinian Authority, which would govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza for a five-year interim period, during which final status issues—Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, borders—would be negotiated. Israel recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people, and the PLO recognized Israel's right to exist and renounced terrorism.

Why it still matters

The Oslo Accords were the first direct agreement between Israel and Palestinians and raised hopes for peace. Rabin, Arafat, and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize. However, the accords failed—Rabin was assassinated by an Israeli extremist in 1995, settlements expanded, and final status talks collapsed at Camp David in 2000, leading to the Second Intifada. The accords demonstrated both the possibility and difficulty of Israeli-Palestinian peace, and their failure shaped the conflict for decades.

Background

Settlement expansion undermined the process.