The September 1993 Israel-PLO
Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements
provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May
1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian
Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for
Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to
determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza stalled
following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000, as Israeli
forces reoccupied most Palestinian-controlled areas. In April 2003, the
Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final
settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two
parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The
proposed date for a permanent status agreement was postponed
indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had not
followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader
Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA
president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to
the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process
forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its
settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the
Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four
small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls
maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. In January 2006,
the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian
Legislative Council (PLC). The international community refused to
accept the HAMAS-led government because it did not recognize Israel,
would not renounce violence, and refused to honor previous peace
agreements between Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA
government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success
negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to
the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on
Palestinians. During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis
Maryland, ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the
goal of reaching a final peace settlement. |