| The Geneva Accord Problem | |
What is the Geneva Accord?
The Geneva Accord is a 50-page draft peace agreement created by Israeli left-wing politicians, who negotiated the deal without the backing of the current Israeli government, and senior Palestinian representatives in October 2003.
The year-long negotiations were led by former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo.
The goal of the Geneva Accords is to be a complete final-status agreement. The agreement is presented as a draft for the final phase of the “road map” peace plan, which is due to end in 2005.
The Israeli and Palestinian negotiators hope to sign the "Geneva Accord" in Geneva on November 4, 2003, the eighth anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. While the agreement has not been made public, the following are the concessions the agreement demands from both sides according to media reports.
Israeli concessions
1. Israel will agree to
the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state and will withdraw to
the 1967 borders, except for certain territorial exchanges, as described below.
2. Jerusalem will be divided, with Arab (Muslim and Christian) neighborhoods
of East Jerusalem becoming part of the Palestinian state.
3. Temple Mount will be under Palestinian sovereignty, however, in light of
the sanctity of the site and its religious and cultural significance to the
Jewish people, there will be no archaeological digs or construction without
the consent of both sides. The Mount would be transferred to the Palestinians
30 months after the agreement is signed.
4. A permanent international force will supervise Jerusalem's holy sites, ensuring
freedom of access for visitors of all faiths. However, Jewish prayer will not
be permitted on the mount.
5. The Muslim, Armenian and Christian quarters of the Old City would be Palestinian.
There would be special arrangements to allow Israelis to pass through the Armenian
quarter on their way to the Jewish quarter. The entire Old City would be open:
the borders between the quarters would be marked, but they would not be separated
by physical barriers.
6. Most of West Bank, including the settlements of Ariel, Efrat and Har Homa,
all of Gaza and the Jordan Valley will be turned over to the Palestinians. Israel's
withdrawal from the territories will be completed within 30 months, during which
time the settlements will be dismantled, but the Israel forces will be allowed
to deploy in the Jordan Valley for an additional three years.
7. Israel will transfer to Palestinians parts of the Negev adjacent to Gaza,
but not including Halutza, to the Palestinians in exchange for the parts of
the West Bank it will receive, including Maale Adumim and Gush Etzion.
8. Safe passage route between Gaza and West Bank will be established.
Palestinian concessions
1. Palestinians will waive
"right of return" for refugees, except for a limited number of that
will be allowed to settle in Israel, mainly for the purposes of reuniting families,
but this will not be defined as realization of the right of return.
2. Some refugees will remain in the countries where they now live, others will
be absorbed by the PA, some will be absorbed by other countries and some will
receive financial compensation.
3. Western Wall and Jewish Quarter will be under Israeli sovereignty, the “holy
basin” will be under international supervision.
4. Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, including Pisgat Ze'ev and Ramot
as well as the West Bank suburbs of Givat Ze'ev, Ma'aleh Adumim and the historic
part of Gush Etzion - but not Efrat - will remain under Israeli sovereignty.
Jewish and Arab areas in East Jerusalem would be separated by physical barriers,
but the two parties would consider removing them after three years.
5. The Palestinians will pledge to prevent terror and incitement and disarm
all militias. Their state will be demilitarized, and border crossings will be
supervised by an international, but not an Israeli, force.
6. Palestinians will collect all illegal weaponry.
7. Palestinians will recognize Israel as a Jewish state, and announce an end
to their conflict with Israel.
Common Clauses
1. Law and order in the
Old City would be maintained by a special international force that would include
Israeli and Palestinian policemen.
2. Visas would be needed to cross from Israeli to Palestinian Jerusalem or vice
versa. Both the Israeli and the Palestinian sections of the city would be territorially
contiguous, without enclaves.
3. The agreement will replace all UN resolutions and previous agreements.
Next
page > [What is the Problem with the Geneva
Accord?] > Page 1, 2,
3,
Sources
Haaretz - The Geneva
Accord - pure subversion, by Zalman Shoval
Israel Insider - Sharon:
"Geneva Accord" is most historic, tragic mistake since Oslo, by
Ellis Shuman
Jerusalem Post - Interesting
Times - Beilin's retro chic, by Saul Singer
Miftah.org - The "Geneva
Accord"
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