Arab-Israeli_Conflicts

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Introduction Camp David Peace Accord--What They Agreed On Oslo Peace Accord--What They Agreed On
Part A llllPart B

Camp David Peace Accord Oslo Peace Accord Bibliography:
Camp DavidggOsloggGeneral glPicture

Throughout the ages, Israelis and Arabs have engaged in sometimes quite violent battles for the rights to land in Israel. There are many proclaimed sources for this aggression on both accounts. Some people believe that the conflict has some Biblical implications, taking it back all the way to when Ishmael was born to Abraham and his second wife, Hagar. Others trace the conflict back to the late 19th century, where growing anti-Semitism led to the development of Zionism, a nationalistic movement intent on reestablishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Throughout centuries of conflict, some Arabs and Jews have made desperate attempts for peace. In more recent times, the Camp David and Oslo peace accords have achieved the distinction of being two of the most significant peace negotiations in history.

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The Camp David Peace Accord was written in the year 1978. It was a historic achievement, following thirty years of animosity between Egypt and Israel including four wars. Three world leaders were involved in this treaty. The first was President Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt, who in 1977 launched a peace initiative by being the first Arab leader to make a state visit to Israel. The second was Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel. The third was President Jimmy Carter of the United States, who stepped in after preliminary negotiations between the two nations stalled. For days, Sadat, Begin, and Carter secretly met at Camp David, the United States President's personal retreat.

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There, two agreements were signed on September 17th. The first discussed the future of the Sinai Peninsula and a framework for peace between Israel and Egypt. The second established a format for conducting negotiations about the institution of an autonomous regime in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel had to withdraw its armed forces from the Sinai Peninsula ; a highway was constructed between the Sinai Peninsula and Jordan that guaranteed free and peaceful passage by Egypt and Jordan. Egypt was also given the use of airfields left by the Israelis, for civilian and commercial purposes. On the surface, it appeared that Egypt gained the most from these negotiations, but Israel also gained a great deal. It had achieved peace with a neighboring Arab nation.

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President Bill Clinton had hoped to leave the White House victorious in the his ongoing quest for Middle Eastern peace. His predecessor, George Bush, had already laid the groundwork. In the wake of America's victory in the Gulf War over the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the Bush administration arranged the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991 (a conference organized by the United States and Russia which included Israel and surrounding Arab nations). This in turn paved the way for the Oslo Peace Accords two years later in 1993. While negotiating teams of Palestinians and Israelis were engaged in deadlocked official negotiations in the United States, the two sides secretly negotiated a major breakthrough in Oslo, Norway, culminating in the Oslo Accords.

Back To Top

The primary focus of the Oslo Accords was the Gaza Strip. This piece of land has been fought over continuously throughout Middle Eastern history because of its strategic location directly in between Israel and its historic enemies. In excess of six maps had been drawn during the peace talks to accommodate the leaders of both parties. The leaders involved in the negotiations, monitored by United States President Bill Clinton, were Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, and Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel. The Oslo Accords and the resulting Declaration of Principles set the stage for a gradual transfer of power in the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians.

Back To Top

It may seem like Israel forfeited too much in exchange for peace. In actuality, the agreements served both nations well. For the first time in its history, Israel had the beginnings of peaceful relations with its Arab foes. This more than compensated for the amount of land and power given to the Arabs. Unfortunately, as evident from the horrific situation in the Middle East today, this peace did not last. Hopefully, in the near future, the leaders of Israel and the Arab nations will be able to work together to finally establish a lasting peace in the Middle East.

Back To Top

Carter, Jimmy, Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat, and Menachem Begin. The Mideast Peace Process Camp David Accords. September 17, 1978. http://www.jcrc.org/main/cdavid.htm. (5 November 2001)--This is a primary source document. This website has typed up the original text of the Camp David Accord and posted it on the internet.

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Dunn, Ross. "Oslo peace accord is dead, says Sharon." The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 January 2001. http://www.smh.com.au/index.html. (5 November 2001)

Hadar, Leon. The Real Lesson of the Oslo Accord: "Localize" The Arab-Israeli Conflict. May 9, 1994. http://www.cato.org/pubs/fpbriefs/fpb-031.html. (5 November 2001)

Neff, David. "Israel Never Honored The Oslo Peace Accords Signed At White House." Washington Report On Middle East Affairs. September 1998. http://www.wrmea.com/. (8 November 2001)

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(Can include information about Camp David and Oslo Accords)

Heller, Mark A. "The Israeli-Palestinian Accord: An Israeli View." Current History. February 1994. http://www.sirs.com. (8 November 2001)

Lamb, David. "Arabs See There's No Turning Back Now." Los Angeles Times. 28 September 1995. http://www.sirs.com. (8 November 2001)

Peace Agreements & Accords. The Center For Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation. http://www.centerpeace.org/agreements/peace_accords_new.htm. (8 November 2001)--This site hosts a slew of primary source documents. It has just about every middle eastern peace accord available posted on their website.

Rodan, Steve. "Going All The Way." The Jerusalem Post. 10 December 1993. http://www.sirs.com. (8 November 2001

The Search For Peace Historical Documents Section. 30 January 1997. http://www.usis-israel.org.il/publish/peace/peaindex.htm. (5 November 2001)--Almost all of these documents are primary sources. Most of them are the actual peace accords, and some of them are proposed ideas about peace in the Middle East

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The International Business Resource Connection. Middle East Map. http://www.ibrc.bschool.ukans.edu/country_resources/middleE/dw_middlee.htm. (11 January 2002)

Institute For Interdisciplinary Engineering Study: Purdue University. "Power Pool Development Group (PPDG)." Middle East Project. http://iies.www.ecn.purdue.edu/IIES/PPDG/MIDEAST/index.wshtml. (5 November 2001)

Handshake. http://www.usembassy-israel.org.il/images/c10017-3.gif (5 November 2001)

Har Homa Peace Park. www.harhoma.com/ pages/park.html. (8 November 2001)

Palestine Center. Oslo Map Outlining Areas A, B, and C from the Foundation for Middle East Peace. lllllll www.palestinecenter.org/cpap/ maps/peace_oslo.html. (8 November 2001)

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Introduction	Camp David Peace Accord--What They Agreed On	Oslo Peace Accord--What They Agreed On Part A llllPart B
Camp David Peace Accord	Oslo Peace Accord	Bibliography: Camp DavidggOsloggGeneral glPicture

Throughout the ages, Israelis and Arabs have engaged in sometimes quite violent battles for the rights to land in Israel. There are many proclaimed sources for this aggression on both accounts. Some people believe that the conflict has some Biblical implications, taking it back all the way to when Ishmael was born to Abraham and his second wife, Hagar. Others trace the conflict back to the late 19th century, where growing anti-Semitism led to the development of Zionism, a nationalistic movement intent on reestablishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Throughout centuries of conflict, some Arabs and Jews have made desperate attempts for peace. In more recent times, the Camp David and Oslo peace accords have achieved the distinction of being two of the most significant peace negotiations in history. Back To Top
		The Camp David Peace Accord was written in the year 1978. It was a historic achievement, following thirty years of animosity between Egypt and Israel including four wars. Three world leaders were involved in this treaty. The first was President Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt, who in 1977 launched a peace initiative by being the first Arab leader to make a state visit to Israel. The second was Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel. The third was President Jimmy Carter of the United States, who stepped in after preliminary negotiations between the two nations stalled. For days, Sadat, Begin, and Carter secretly met at Camp David, the United States President's personal retreat. Back To Top
There, two agreements were signed on September 17th. The first discussed the future of the Sinai Peninsula and a framework for peace between Israel and Egypt. The second established a format for conducting negotiations about the institution of an autonomous regime in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel had to withdraw its armed forces from the Sinai Peninsula ; a highway was constructed between the Sinai Peninsula and Jordan that guaranteed free and peaceful passage by Egypt and Jordan. Egypt was also given the use of airfields left by the Israelis, for civilian and commercial purposes. On the surface, it appeared that Egypt gained the most from these negotiations, but Israel also gained a great deal. It had achieved peace with a neighboring Arab nation. Back To Top
		President Bill Clinton had hoped to leave the White House victorious in the his ongoing quest for Middle Eastern peace. His predecessor, George Bush, had already laid the groundwork. In the wake of America's victory in the Gulf War over the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the Bush administration arranged the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991 (a conference organized by the United States and Russia which included Israel and surrounding Arab nations). This in turn paved the way for the Oslo Peace Accords two years later in 1993. While negotiating teams of Palestinians and Israelis were engaged in deadlocked official negotiations in the United States, the two sides secretly negotiated a major breakthrough in Oslo, Norway, culminating in the Oslo Accords. Back To Top
The primary focus of the Oslo Accords was the Gaza Strip. This piece of land has been fought over continuously throughout Middle Eastern history because of its strategic location directly in between Israel and its historic enemies. In excess of six maps had been drawn during the peace talks to accommodate the leaders of both parties. The leaders involved in the negotiations, monitored by United States President Bill Clinton, were Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, and Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel. The Oslo Accords and the resulting Declaration of Principles set the stage for a gradual transfer of power in the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians. Back To Top It may seem like Israel forfeited too much in exchange for peace. In actuality, the agreements served both nations well. For the first time in its history, Israel had the beginnings of peaceful relations with its Arab foes. This more than compensated for the amount of land and power given to the Arabs. Unfortunately, as evident from the horrific situation in the Middle East today, this peace did not last. Hopefully, in the near future, the leaders of Israel and the Arab nations will be able to work together to finally establish a lasting peace in the Middle East. Back To Top