History of Negotiations with Israel

The Palestinian people entered the peace process with the understanding that the process would proceed on the basis of international law, UN Security Council Resolutions and the “land for peace” formula for which they stand. The many agreements signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization (“PLO”) and Israel were supposed to have embodied this formula but Israel sidestepped international law and instead made the process an extended negotiation which invariably favored Israel, the stronger party.

In keeping with Israeli PM Rabin’s declaration that “there are no sacred deadlines.” Israel broke virtually every withdrawal deadline and each new Israeli Prime Minister “reassessed” his predecessor’s commitments, invariably resulting in further delays. Agreements were “re-negotiated” and in each case, the status quo remained in effect until a new agreement was reached. Because the status quo involve complete Israeli control – whether over territory, movement or revenues – Israel had no incentive (indeed, a disincentive) to proceed with negotiations in good faith.

Throughout this period, Israel built new illegal colonies in the Occupied West Bank and consolidated its hold over East Jerusalem. The results: the Israeli settler population in the Occupied Palestinian Territories nearly doubled during the Oslo peace process; land confiscation continued unabated and Palestinians were, in effect, made to live on reservations, surrounded and controlled by Israel.