(2008-0728-F) Oslo Accords Signing

The materials in FOIA 2008-0728-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. The Middle East Peace Process was one of the first foreign policy priorities of the Clinton Administration. In 1991, a conference in Madrid, Spain launched a series of multilateral peace talks between Israel and her Arab neighbors. On January 20, 1993, the Israeli legislature, the Knesset, lifted the legal ban on meetings between Israeli officials and members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), thereby allowing the possibility of direct negotiations. However, the peace process had temporarily stalled in December 1992, when Israel deported over 400 Palestinians to Lebanon. The Palestinians vowed to sit out of the peace talks until the issue was resolved, and the United Nations Security Council stepped in to negotiate an agreement on the return of the deportees. The PLO did return to the peace process in time for the ninth round of negotiations in Washington, D.C. in May 1993. However, the talks did not produce an agreement between the Israeli and Palestinian delegations. Clinton Presidential Library’s web site 2008-0728-F http://www.clintonlibrary.gov 2 In the meantime, PLO and Israeli representatives had been meeting secretly in Oslo, Norway. During a December 1992 meeting in London, Norwegian sociologist Terje Larsen and Israeli government official Yossi Beilin came to the conclusion that a dialogue with the PLO was necessary for peace. They arranged for two Israeli professors to meet with a PLO delegation led by Ahmed Qurei a month later at the Oslo area home of Norwegian official Jorgen Holsts. The negotiators sought to create a set of guidelines for Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. With the support of Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Israel made the negotiations official in May 1993 through the involvement of Vice Foreign Minister Uri Savir. By August 1993, the Oslo negotiators had agreed upon a Declaration of Principles for Interim Self-Government Arrangements, to the surprise of the Clinton Administration and Middle East Envoy Dennis Ross. As part of the agreement, PLO leader Yasir Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin were to exchange Letters of Mutual Recognition. By September 9, the two parties had reached agreement on the wording of the letters. Four days later, President Clinton hosted a formal signing ceremony for the Declaration of Principles, which culminated in the landmark handshake between Arafat and Rabin. Foreign dignitaries from all over the world traveled to Washington to witness the event. The Declaration of Principles, also known as the Oslo Accords, outlined a number of significant changes in Israeli-Palestinian relations. The two parties would first officially recognize the right of the other to exist. Israel agreed to withdraw from portions of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, allowing Palestinians to engage in self government in those areas. During the following five years, the two parties were to negotiate a permanent peace settlement. However, internal political opposition and the failure of both sides to fulfill commitments caused the peace process to stall again. The Olso Accords have not produced a final resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The majority of the records related to this FOIA are closed for national security reasons. The WHORM Subject Files contain correspondence, memoranda, speeches, papers, and annotated newspaper articles. President Clinton sent thank you letters to prominent individuals who supported his work in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, he solicited suggestions from outside sources that took the form of reports regarding the Middle East Peace Process, and the Chief Executive made bold, pointed remarks on newspaper pieces pertaining to countries such as Israel and Egypt. Additionally, members of Congress wrote POTUS urging him to include them in the signing ceremony for the Oslo Accords. The White House Staff and Office Files of National Security Council Staff Director Nancy Soderberg contain press materials, invitations lists, and statements on the September 13, 1993 Signing Ceremony. These files also include copy of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements printed by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The NSC Cables and Emails systems contain statements regarding issues related to the peace process, press guidance, and planning documents for the Signing Ceremony. Most of the records released in response to this FOIA request are located in the NSC Records Management System. These files contain briefing materials for telephone calls and meetings between President Clinton and Prime Minister Rabin, as well as external and congressional correspondence on matters related to the peace process. Furthermore, the NSC Records Management System includes background materials, briefing papers, and draft remarks for the signing of the Declaration of Principles. There is also a collection of letters to President Clinton in which Palestinian teenagers express their views on the deportation crisis and the peace process.