During the second week of October, word began to spread about a new
Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal. The plan, known as the "Geneva
Accord" (reflecting reported Swiss support for efforts to conclude
the proposal) is the culmination of more than 2 and 1 2 years of Israeli-Palestinian
cooperation and negotiation undertaken by high-profile Israelis and
Palestinians, acting as individuals, not as representatives of any government.
Israelis involved in negotiating and promoting this initiative include:
former Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak; Brigadier General (res.)
Giora Inbar, a former division commander in Lebanon; Brigadier General
(res.) Gideon Sheffer, former director of the IDF Personnel Branch and
deputy director of the National Security Council; Brigadier General
(res.) Shlomo Brom, former head of the strategy staff; Colonel (res.)
Shaul Arieli; former Justice Minister Yossi Beilin; Member of Knesset
(Labor) Amram Mitzna; Member of Knesset (Labor) and former Speaker of
the Knesset Avraham Burg; Former Minister of Immigrant Absorption and
Member of Knesset (Labor) Yuli Tamir; Member of Knesset (Meretz) and
former Minister of Agriculture Haim Oron; Member of Knesset (Meretz)
and former Minister of Education Yossi Sarid; Professor Aryeh Arnon
(a leader of Peace Now); former Member of Knesset (Likud) Nehama Ronen;
authors Amoz Oz, David Grossman, and Zvia Greenfield; Jerusalem expert
Dr. Menachem Klein; and economist Yoram Gabay.
Palestinians involved in negotiating and promoting this initiative
include:
former Minister of Information and Culture Yasser Abed-Rabbo; former
Minister of Tourism Nabil Qassis; Palestinian Legislative Council members
Qadoura Fares and Mohamed Horani (associated with the Fatah/Tanzim);
Samih al-Abed; Bashar Jum1a; Dr. Nazmi Shuabi; Gheith al-Omri (from
the Negotiations Support Unit); Jamal Zakut; Prisoners Affairs Minister
Hisham Abdel Raziq; Ghadi Jarei (member of the Prisoners Committee and
Fatah); Nazmi Jub1a; and General Zoheir Manasra (former governor of
Jenin and head of Preventative Security in the West Bank).
Key Issues and Positions
*Adapted from press reports; the full text of the document has not yet
been released
End of Conflict
The Geneva Accord will replace and supplant all UN resolutions, including
those dealing with refugees, as well as other previous agreements.
Recognition of Israel & Palestine
The Palestinians will recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people.
Israel will recognize the state of Palestine, which will be demilitarized,
with oversight by an international force, and with border crossings
supervised by an international (non-Israeli) force. Israel and Palestine
will immediately engage in full diplomatic relations.
Demilitarization, Security & Fighting Terror
No armed forces, except those approved in the Accord, will be permitted
to exist in Palestine. Palestine will be a demilitarized state with
a strong security force, with mutually agreed-upon restrictions on the
arms that it may acquire. No private body, except for the Palestinian
security forces, will be able to purchase, own or carry weapons, except
as provided for under law.
Both sides will reject and condemn terrorism and violence in all their
forms. Both sides will avoid acts or policies that would incite or create
conditions that encourage terrorism on either side.
Both sides recognize that mutual understanding and cooperation over
security will constitute a significant amount of their bilateral relations.
Palestine and Israel will base their security relations on cooperation,
mutual trust, good neighborliness, and protection of mutual interests.
Palestine and Israel will be obligated to --
(1) recognize the other's right to live in peace within secure and
recognized borders, without threat of acts of war, terrorism, or violence;
(2) refrain from threat or use of force against the territorial integrity
or sovereignty of the other, and settle all differences through peaceful
means;
(3) avoid joining, cooperating with or supporting any coalition, organization,
or pact with a military character whose overall goals include violence
or any other hostile objective against the other;
(4) prevent the organization, encouragement, or formation of unauthorized
forces or militias, including mercenaries and other military elements
within the territories of both sides.
Both sides are obligated to undertake ongoing military cooperation
under which a security committee will be formed and will meet on a monthly
basis.
There will be an amnesty for Palestinian prisoners and detainees being
held for offenses committed prior to the signing of the Accord.
Territory, Borders, and Settlements
The 1967 border will be the border between the State of Israel and
Palestine, with agreed on adjustments and 1:1 territorial exchanges.
Most of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley, will be handed over
to the Palestinians as Israel secures defense arrangements along the
Jordan River.
Certain large settlements will be left inside the Palestinians state,
including Ariel, Efrat, Kiryat Arba, Ofra, Elon Moreh, Bet El, Eli and
Har Homa.
All of the Gaza Strip, including the Qatif Bloc of settlements, will
be handed over to the Palestinians. More than 50% of settlers will be
annexed to Israel.
In exchange for parts of the West Bank that Israel will keep, including
a strip of land required to expand the territorial defenses of Ben Gurion
Airport (the Latrun area), the Etzion Block, andsettlements on the outskirts
of Jerusalem, (including Maale Adumim and Givat Zeev) Israel will transfer
parts of the western Negev adjacent to Gaza (not including Halutza)
to the Palestinians, including some fields belonging to Israeli communities.
Israel will control the entire airspace, including the airspace over
the state of Palestine.
Refugees & the Right of Return
The Palestinian right of return is not mentioned in the Accord, and
Israel does not recognize responsibility for the creation of the refugee
problem.
Refugees will be given the choice whether to (1) move to the new Palestinian
state (unlimited numbers), (2) move to Israeli areas that will be swapped
into the Palestinian state (unlimited numbers); (3) remain in the countries
where they currently reside (numbers based on the sovereign decision
of the host countries); (4) move to a third country (numbers based on
the sovereign decision of the potential host countries); or (5) move
to Israel (numbers based on the sovereign decision of Israel).
Israel will view the decision to accept refugees into Israel as the
same as any other third country offering to accept refugees, and will
determine the number of refugees to accept based on the average numbers
accepted by other third countries.
Refugees will be entitled to compensation for their refugee status
and loss of property. An international commission and international
fund will be established to deal with implementation of these residence
options and compensation.
Refugee status of individual Palestinians will be terminated once a
permanent residence option has been realized, providing a permanent
and complete resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem.
Jerusalem and its environs
Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem will become part of the Palestinian
state, while Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, including the Jerusalem-area
settlements of Givat Ze'ev, Ma'aleh Adumim, and the original historically
Jewish area of Gush Etzion, will be part of Israel.
Jerusalem's Old City & "Holy Basin"
The Temple Mount will fall under Palestinian sovereignty, but security
will be in the hands of a permanent international supervisory body.
The Mount will be open to people of all faiths, with the international
body ensuring freedom of access to the site. Neither Jewish prayer nor
archeological digs (by any party) will be permitted on the site.
The Western Wall (or 3Wailing Wall2) and the Jewish Quarter will remain
under Jewish sovereignty and the "Holy Basin" will be under
international supervision. The Tower of David will come under Palestinian
sovereignty, but Israeli administration.
The Muslim, Christian, and Armenian Quarters will come under Palestinian
control. Special arrangements will be made regarding the Armenian Quarter
for Israeli citizens. No borders will be erected within the Old City
and free passage will be guaranteed.
The Palestinians will have sovereignty over Damascus Gate, Herod's
Gate, and Lions Gate, and Palestinians will enter and exit the Old City
through these gates.
Israel will have sovereignty over Zion Gate and Dung Gate, and Israelis
will enter and exit the Old City through these gates. Jaffa Gate will
come under Palestinian sovereignty but with international supervision
and with special arrangements guaranteeing Israeli passage to and from
the Western Wall.
The Geneva
Initiative
http://www.heskem.org.il/Heskem_en.asp
Majorities Of Israelis & Palestinians Back Geneva:
According to a public opinion poll that was commissioned by the Baker
Institute, more than half of the Palestinian public supports the fundamental
principles of the Geneva agreement. The survey was conducted in parallel
both in the Palestinian Authority and in Israel, and it examined the
positions of 1,241 respondents.
The poll in the occupied territories was conducted through face-to-face
interviews, a method that generally is considered to be more reliable
than telephone surveys.
The respondents were asked to respond to a series of questions that
presented principles that are nearly identical to the principles of
the Geneva agreement, but without mentioning the word "Geneva"
or the people involved in the initiative. The Baker Institute did not
coordinate its activity with the sponsors of the Geneva agreement.
The poll found that 55.6% of Palestinians voiced support for such an
accord, as did 53% of Israelis.
Among the principles that were presented to the respondents:
Two independent states, Israel and Palestine, that exist alongside
one another and recognize one another, with borders that are based on
the 1967 lines with minor revisions;
Jerusalem is divided so that the Arab neighborhoods are Palestine and
the Jewish neighborhoods are Israel;
the Palestinian refugees' right of return is restricted to the independent
Palestinian state; and
an international force will supervise the implementation of the agreement.
(Ma'ariv, 11/24/03)