Peres-Hussein London Agreement
Encyclopedia
The London Agreement between King Hussein of Jordan
and Israel
i Foreign Affairs Minister
Shimon Peres
, was signed during a secret meeting held at the residence of Lord Mishcon in London
on April 11, 1987. Also present in the meeting were Jordanian Prime Minister Zaid al-Rifai
and Director Generel of the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry, Yossi Beilin
.
The agreement outlines the framework for an international peace conference hosted by the United Nations
, and whose purpose is “the peaceful solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict based on resolutions 242
and 338
and a peaceful solution of the Palestinian problem in all its aspects”. The agreement also stipulates that the conference would not impose a solution on the parties, and that the Palestinians would be represented by the Jordanian delegation. Its requirements that all parties accept UN resolutions 242 and 338 as well as renounce violence and terrorism effectively excluded PLO participation. The signatories agreed that their plan would be presented to US Secretary of State George Shultz for its promotion as an American initiative.
Peres, serving as the Foreign Affairs Minister on behalf of the Labor Party in the Israeli National Unity Government
, left for the meeting with the consent of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir
of the Likud
. He was hoping the meeting would lead to a breakthrough allowing the promotion of the ‘Jordanian Option’, namely the resolution of the Palestinian issue through Jordanian sovereignty over the West Bank
. Shamir, however, was unenthusiastic about the ‘Jordanian Option’, and feared that an international conference would force an undesirable solution on Israel. Peres informed him of the agreement on his return to Israel, however refused to provide Shamir with a copy and continued to promote it independently. Mistrust between both leaders as well as ideological differences led to Shamir’s rejection of the agreement, and subsequently to Peres’s failure to approve it in the Israeli Cabinet in May. Concomitantly, Shamir sent Moshe Arens
to meet with Shultz and block the peace conference.
Hussein was bitterly disappointed by Peres’s inability to realize the agreement, and consequently disengaged from any further initiative to promote a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Following the breaking out of the First Intifada
in December 1987, the ‘Jordanian Option’ became effectively irrelevant, and in July 1988 Hussein announced that Jordan relinquishes any sovereignty over the West Bank
. An international peace conference between Israel and the Arab countries was eventually held in Madrid
in October 1991, adhering to a framework similar to that agreed by Peres and Hussein in 1987.
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Foreign Affairs Minister
Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel
The Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The position is one of the most important in the Israeli cabinet after Prime Minister and Defense Minister...
Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
, was signed during a secret meeting held at the residence of Lord Mishcon in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on April 11, 1987. Also present in the meeting were Jordanian Prime Minister Zaid al-Rifai
Zaid al-Rifai
Zaid al-Rifai in the city of Safed in Palestine is a former Prime Minister of Jordan.-Biography:He served as Prime Minister of Jordan twice and . His father, Sameer al-Rifai was also an important politician in Jordan and former prime minister...
and Director Generel of the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry, Yossi Beilin
Yossi Beilin
Dr. Yosef "Yossi" Beilin is a left-wing Israeli politician and a former Knesset member, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister and Justice Minister, representing both the Labor Party and Meretz-Yachad, of which he served as chairman between 2003 and 2006. He is best known for his involvement with the...
.
The agreement outlines the framework for an international peace conference hosted by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, and whose purpose is “the peaceful solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict based on resolutions 242
United Nations Security Council Resolution 242
United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on November 22, 1967, in the aftermath of the Six Day War. It was adopted under Chapter VIof the United Nations Charter...
and 338
United Nations Security Council Resolution 338
The three-line United Nations Security Council Resolution 338, adopted on October 22, 1973, called for a ceasefire in the Yom Kippur War in accordance with a joint proposal by the United States and the Soviet Union. The resolution stipulated a cease fire to take effect within 12 hours of the...
and a peaceful solution of the Palestinian problem in all its aspects”. The agreement also stipulates that the conference would not impose a solution on the parties, and that the Palestinians would be represented by the Jordanian delegation. Its requirements that all parties accept UN resolutions 242 and 338 as well as renounce violence and terrorism effectively excluded PLO participation. The signatories agreed that their plan would be presented to US Secretary of State George Shultz for its promotion as an American initiative.
Peres, serving as the Foreign Affairs Minister on behalf of the Labor Party in the Israeli National Unity Government
National unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity, or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other national emergency.- Canada :During World War I the Conservative government of Sir...
, left for the meeting with the consent of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzhak Shamir
' is a former Israeli politician, the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, in 1983–84 and 1986–92.-Biography:Icchak Jeziernicky was born in Ruzhany , Russian Empire . He studied at a Hebrew High School in Białystok, Poland. As a youth he joined Betar, the Revisionist Zionist youth movement...
of the Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
. He was hoping the meeting would lead to a breakthrough allowing the promotion of the ‘Jordanian Option’, namely the resolution of the Palestinian issue through Jordanian sovereignty over the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
. Shamir, however, was unenthusiastic about the ‘Jordanian Option’, and feared that an international conference would force an undesirable solution on Israel. Peres informed him of the agreement on his return to Israel, however refused to provide Shamir with a copy and continued to promote it independently. Mistrust between both leaders as well as ideological differences led to Shamir’s rejection of the agreement, and subsequently to Peres’s failure to approve it in the Israeli Cabinet in May. Concomitantly, Shamir sent Moshe Arens
Moshe Arens
Moshe Arens is an Israeli aeronautical engineer, researcher and former diplomat and politician. A member of the Knesset between 1973 and 1992 and again from 1999 until 2003, he served as Minister of Defense three times and once as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Arens has also served as the Israeli...
to meet with Shultz and block the peace conference.
Hussein was bitterly disappointed by Peres’s inability to realize the agreement, and consequently disengaged from any further initiative to promote a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Following the breaking out of the First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
in December 1987, the ‘Jordanian Option’ became effectively irrelevant, and in July 1988 Hussein announced that Jordan relinquishes any sovereignty over the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
. An international peace conference between Israel and the Arab countries was eventually held in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in October 1991, adhering to a framework similar to that agreed by Peres and Hussein in 1987.