In the early 1990s, it seemed impossible: the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Jasir Arafat, sat down at the negotiating table with his erstwhile enemies, or Israeli politicians. For the latter, until that point, the OWP was a terrorist organization. The OWP, in turn, did not recognise the existence of the State of Israel. First they met in secret and far from the flash, in Oslo, later signed agreements in Washington (Oslo I) and Egyptian Taba (Oslo II).
The first of the agreements was concluded 45 years after the Israel uprising, 26 years of business of the West Bank and Gaza and respective wars. Earlier in 1987, the first intifada, or stone war, broke out. Both sides knew that specified a situation could no longer continue.
Jasir Arafat did not take off his uniform, but put down his gun. In his uniform and kefiji on his head (a characteristic Arabic coat that we call from his name "arafatka") he shook the hand of the Prime Minister of Israel, Itzak Rabin. This historical embrace was immortalized in a photograph that surrounded the planet and became a symbol of the beginning of the road to peace in this part of the world. 2 men in the photo, together with Shimon Peres, another Prime Minister of Israel, later received the Nobel Peace Prize. But there's inactive no room.
Mural with the image of Jasir Arafat in Palestine. photograph by Dalia MikulskaIt has not even been six months since this photograph was taken, erstwhile Israeli extremist Baruch Goldstein entered the mosque at the Patriarch Cave in Hebron and opened fire, killing 29 Palestinians. 2 years after the handshake, 1 of the men immortalized in the photograph was dead, killed by his compatriot, who peace agreements He thought it was treason. After 7 years, the Palestinians reached for the stones again.
Inequal forces
Arafat was born in Egypt, where he studied. Later, he led the Palestinian National Liberation Organizations in exile. He was 19 years old erstwhile the state of Israel was established, and erstwhile the first Israeli-Arab war broke out and joined the fight. After losing the war, he returned to Cairo, where he finished his studies and founded Fatah – an armed organization whose goal was to remove Israel and replace it with a Palestinian state. In 1969, he headed the Palestine Liberation Organization. The Palestinian opposition was active from abroad – first from Jordan, then Lebanon, and yet from Tunisia. And it was from Tunis, not Palestine, that Arafat came to Oslo, where talks were held, and later Washington, where agreements were signed.
One might be tempted to say that his homeland, for whom he fought, did not truly know well. At the negotiating table, he was definitely the weaker side. Israelis came to Olso with maps, and Palestinians with hope – parent of fools.
By the time they were immortalized in the celebrated photograph, Israel and Palestine leaders signed an agreement that went back to past under the name “Oslo I”. The HR, so far an armed organization, recognised the right of the State of Israel to be and renounced violence. In return, Israel considered her a typical of the Palestinian people.
Transitional period
The Palestinian Authority was created, which was shortly to take over in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This was to be the beginning of a five-year transitional period, after which Palestinians were promised their own state within the limits of 1967. A provisional government was established – it was to be replaced by a permanent government by 1999. During these 5 years, both sides were to make solutions that would enable a two-state solution to be implemented.
In 1995 another agreement was concluded, called “Olso II”. The Israelis agreed to retreat from the 6 largest Palestinian cities and 450 smaller towns. The West Bank was besides divided into 3 zones: A, B, and C – depending on what letter was given, it depended on how much power Israel would have in that part, and how much of the creation then created called the Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinian authorities were granted control of region A, the smallest (approximately 18% of the territory) part of the West Bank. region B is under common control: Palestinians are active in civilian affairs specified as wellness care and education, Israel's got uniforms under control. In region C, by far the largest (about 60% of the West Bank), Israel has full power. The external borders are besides under the control of Israel (as a consequence, many Arabs, e.g. Lebanese, are not allowed to enter Palestine).
It's a clever solution. A fewer years later, erstwhile the position was considered Jerusalem East, anti-Zionist activist Michel Warschawski said: “Urban autonomy is not a compromise, it is simply a solution preferred by Israel. What could be better than having political control and sovereignty over East Jerusalem, without having to spend a penny on wellness care, basic municipal services and education for the local Palestinian population? Over the last six years Israel has been able to experimentation with this approach in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."
This division besides shows that in region C, Palestinians are subject to Israeli military orders and Israeli settlers, though surviving on the Palestinian West Bank, are subject to Israeli civilian law. And erstwhile there is force from Israeli settlers, Palestinians have no 1 to protect
– The division of the West Bank was to be temporary,” explains Dr. Ewa Górska, a lawyer and a cultural expert in the mediate East. “Over the next 5 years, Israel was to retreat gradually. First from region A, or Palestinian cities specified as Bethlehem or Ramallah, then region B, and at the end of C. He hasn't done it yet.
This is Oslo's first defeat. The second is that there was nothing in the agreements about the right of Palestinian refugees to return, not a word about Israeli colonies in the West Bank and Gaza, or the position of Jerusalem.
And these are key issues for Palestinians. They are a nation of refugees – any of them (about 700,000) were driven out of their homes. erstwhile Israel was formed, another 300,000 during the six-day war. Refugees who lived, among others, in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria or the West Bank or Gaza founded families, have children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. individual who, in 1948, as a five-year-old child, left with his parents, for example, Haifa (a Palestinian town now within the borders of Israel), is now 80 years old, may be a grandpa or grandma of another generation of refugees who have never seen Palestine. Still, he keeps the key to his home, as well as his memory and hope to return. Palestinians inactive believe they have the right to do so, as promised by UN General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1948.
The question of the return of refugees and another disputed cases was to be addressed in subsequent agreements. However, in the second half of the 1990s, after the Israeli extremist killed Prime Minister Izak Rabin in late 1995, the chances of peace again seemed remote. Contrary to the provisions of the Oslo Agreement, Israel did not retreat from the West Bank. He was besides to halt the construction of settlements in the region, while the population of settlers increased. In 2000, there were just over 190,000, present about 500,000.
What's next?
According to any experts, specified as Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, the agreements were deliberately designed in specified a way that Palestinians did not get sovereignty. Not only do Palestinian lands not inactive belong to them, but they are shredded, and life on them makes the wall and checkpoints difficult.
Later there were inactive respective attempts to scope an agreement – like a memorandum from Sharm el-Sheikh or Camp David II, but their provisions were very limited and no were full implemented. The latter, according to many Palestinians, ignored their basic demands and proposed the creation of not so much a Palestinian state as a protectorate.
The temporary government became permanent, and Palestinian militants from the Palestine Liberation Organization converted from militants to politicians or officials. Many have been corrupted. Abu Mazen, or president Mahmoud Abbas, ended up on his 88th birthday. The Palestinians wonder if he's inactive in charge, or if individual else is behind his back. There have been no elections in 17 years.
And since the two-state solution promised in Oslo has inactive not been implemented, the question is: are there another options for resolving this conflict?
– Today, the alleged one-state solution, that is, the common state of Jews and Palestinians, is frequently spoken of among unradicalized people on both sides. possibly there is no better way,” says Dr. Ewa Górska.
In Poland, it is inactive an unpopular communicative – much little than the 1 that pressures Israel to retreat from occupied areas and make 2 states. But it's not that simple, due to the fact that there's quite a few tiny problems that nobody's come up with in the last fewer decades. For example: how to connect West Bank With Gaza? any kind of extraterritorial corridor?
It is besides unclear how 1 country would look. This could be, for example, a federation based on self-government – there are many possible models. This may seem utopian today, but since a 2 - state solution has not been implemented, it is worth considering.
