Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum (1999)
Encyclopedia
The Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum, full name: The Sharm el Sheikh Memorandum on Implementation Timeline of Outstanding Commitments of Agreements Signed and the Resumption of Permanent Status Negotiations was a memorandum
signed on September 4, 1999 by Prime Minister of Israel
Ehud Barak
and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat
at Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt
, overseen by the United States
represented by Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright
. The memorandum was witnessed and co-signed by President Hosni Mubarak
of Egypt and King Abdullah
of Jordan
.
The memorandum's purpose was to implement the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
(Oslo II) of September 1995 and to implement all other agreements between the PLO and Israel since September 1993: (Protocol on Economic Relations
1994; 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, 1994 Washington Declaration, Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities Between Israel and the PLO 1994); Protocol on Further Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities 1995)
The two sides agreed to resume Permanent Status negotiations to reach a Permanent Status Agreement. They reaffirmed that negotiations on the Permanent Status would lead to the implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. Both sides agreed to make a determined effort to conclude a Framework Agreement
and established a timetable to achieve this goal.
Israel and Palestine agreed on a number of Israeli redeployments.
(Note: Area A - Full control of the Palestinian Authority.
Area B - Palestinian civil control, Israeli military
control.
Area C - Full Israeli control.)
Both sides also agreed to establish:
The memorandum states that neither side would initiate or take any step that would change the status of the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip
in accordance with the Interim Agreement. This clause recognized the necessity to create an appropriate environment for negotiations,
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators also discussed various issues:
Palestine and Israel also called upon the international donor community to enhance its financial support for the Palestinian economic development and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
To sum up the memorandum:
Memorandum
A memorandum is from the Latin verbal phrase memorandum est, the gerundive form of the verb memoro, "to mention, call to mind, recount, relate", which means "It must be remembered ..."...
signed on September 4, 1999 by Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
at Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, overseen by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
represented by Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0...
. The memorandum was witnessed and co-signed by President Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
of Egypt and King Abdullah
Abdullah II of Jordan
Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein is the reigning King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He ascended the throne on 7 February 1999 after the death of his father King Hussein. King Abdullah, whose mother is Princess Muna al-Hussein, is a member of the Hashemite family...
of Jordan
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...
.
The memorandum's purpose was to implement the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
The Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, also known as the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement, the Interim Agreement, Oslo 2, Oslo II, and Taba, was a key and complex agreement governing several aspects of the Palestinian territories of Gaza Strip and the West Bank.-History:It...
(Oslo II) of September 1995 and to implement all other agreements between the PLO and Israel since September 1993: (Protocol on Economic Relations
Protocol on Economic Relations
The Protocol on Economic Relations was an annex of the Gaza–Jericho Agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority signed in Paris on 4 May 1994. It governed economic relations between the two parties...
1994; 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, 1994 Washington Declaration, Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities Between Israel and the PLO 1994); Protocol on Further Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities 1995)
The two sides agreed to resume Permanent Status negotiations to reach a Permanent Status Agreement. They reaffirmed that negotiations on the Permanent Status would lead to the implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. Both sides agreed to make a determined effort to conclude a Framework Agreement
Framework Agreement
Framework Agreement is a term that can refer to a number of international accords, including:* The Baker Plan on Western Sahara* The Agreed Framework between the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
and established a timetable to achieve this goal.
Israel and Palestine agreed on a number of Israeli redeployments.
(Note: Area A - Full control of the Palestinian Authority.
Area B - Palestinian civil control, Israeli military
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
control.
Area C - Full Israeli control.)
- On September 5, 1999, Israel transferred 7% from Area C to Area B.
- On November 15, 1999, Israel transferred 2% from Area B to Area A and 3% from Area C to Area B.
- On January 20, 2000, Israel transferred 1% from Area C to Area A, and 5.1% from Area B to Area A.
Both sides also agreed to establish:
- Various committees to monitor redeployments and the return to civilian life.
- Safe passage routes and crossing points.
- A high level Joint Liaison Committee, which would convene no later than September 13, 1999 to review the situation in the Tomb of the Patriarchs / Al Haram Al Ibrahimi
The memorandum states that neither side would initiate or take any step that would change the status of 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...
and the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
in accordance with the Interim Agreement. This clause recognized the necessity to create an appropriate environment for negotiations,
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators also discussed various issues:
- Needs for the peaceful and normal functioning of the GazaGazaGaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
sea port and airport.
- The release of Palestinian prisonersPalestinian prisonersPalestinian prisoners in Israel mainly refers to Palestinians imprisoned in Israel following apprehension resulting from the Israeli–Palestinian conflict...
from Israeli military jails.
- Anti-terrorism security. Both sides affirmed they would act swiftly against any threat or act of terrorismTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, violence or incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis.
Palestine and Israel also called upon the international donor community to enhance its financial support for the Palestinian economic development and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
To sum up the memorandum:
- In an effort to break the deadlocked Israel-PA negotiations, the parties met in Sharm el-Sheikh in the presence of Secretary Albright, President Mubarak and King Abdullah, and signed an agreement which called for the Israeli withdrawal from a further 11% of the West Bank; the release of 350 Palestinian prisoners; the opening of safe passages between the West Bank and Gaza; and a seaport to be built in Gaza. There was also a timetable for final status talks to deal with Jerusalem, borders, refugees and settlements. A framework agreement on permanent status (FAPS) was to be achieved by February 2000 and permanent agreement by September 2000. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/ses_speeches.html
Arab-Israeli peace diplomacy and treaties
- Paris Peace Conference, 1919Paris Peace Conference, 1919The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
- Faisal-Weizmann Agreement (1919)Faisal-Weizmann AgreementThe Faisal–Weizmann Agreement was signed on January 3, 1919, by Emir Feisal , who was for a short time King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria or Greater Syria in 1920, and was King of the Kingdom of Iraq from August 1921 to 1933, and Chaim Weizmann as part of the Paris Peace Conference, 1919 settling...
- 1949 Armistice Agreements1949 Armistice AgreementsThe 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and neighboring Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The agreements ended the official hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and established armistice lines between Israeli forces and the forces in...
- Camp David Accords (1978)
- Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty (1979)Israel-Egypt Peace TreatyThe 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C. on the 26th of March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords, which were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and were witnessed by United States President Jimmy Carter.The peace...
- Madrid Conference of 1991Madrid Conference of 1991The Madrid Conference was hosted by the government of Spain and co-sponsored by the USA and the USSR. It convened on October 30, 1991 and lasted for three days. It was an early attempt by the international community to start a peace process through negotiations involving Israel and the Palestinians...
- Oslo Accords (1993)Oslo AccordsThe Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles , was an attempt to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict...
- Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace (1994)Israel-Jordan Treaty of PeaceThe Israel–Jordan Treaty of Peace was signed in 1994. The treaty normalized relations between the two countries and resolved territorial disputes. The conflict had cost roughly US$18.3 billion...
- Camp David 2000 SummitCamp David 2000 SummitThe Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David of July 2000 took place between United States President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat...
- Peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflictPeace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflictThe peace process in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has taken shape over the years, despite the ongoing violence in the Middle East and an "all or nothing" attitude about a lasting peace, "which prevailed for most of the twentieth century"...
- Projects working for peace among Israelis and ArabsProjects working for peace among Israelis and ArabsProjects working for peace among Arabs and Israelis have been operating for years in different fields.- Policy groups:Organizations or institutions which address and analyze policy issues in a wide range of areas...
- List of Middle East peace proposals
- International law and the Arab-Israeli conflictInternational law and the Arab-Israeli conflictThere is a broad international consensus that the actions of the nations involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict violate prohibitions contained in international law. However, this legality is disputed by some of the nations involved...