Palestinian autonomy talks
Encyclopedia
The Palestinian autonomy talks were an outgrowth of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty and were designed to lead to a resolution of the Palestinian question in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
. According to The Framework for Peace in the Middle East, one part of the 1978 Camp David Accords
, Egypt
and Israel
were to agree within one year on elections for a Palestinian “self-governing authority.” The idea was directly related to Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin
’s idea of Palestinian autonomy.
President Jimmy Carter
appointed Robert Schwarz Strauss
as his envoy to the autonomy talks. Neither the Palestine Liberation Organization
nor any other Palestinian organization was directly involved in the talks.
The talks began in late May 1979. The third round of talks were held at Herzliya, Israel on June 25–26, 1979. The delegations were led by Prime Minister Mustafa Khalil
(Egypt), Minister Yosef Burg
(Israel), and Ambassador James Leonard (United States). Egypt said it did not speak for the Palestinians but rather sought Palestinian elections for a council that would represent the Palestinians.
Delegates met in Holland on February 27, 1980.
On May 8, 1980, Anwar El Sadat unilaterally suspended the negotiations. In July 1980, the talks resumed but Egypt again suspended them. By this time, the U.S. mediator was Sol Linowitz
. By the end of the Carter administration. Linowitz claimed that 80% of the issues had been resolved. Wat T. Cluverius IV, who worked on Linowitz's team, later explained that while the hardest issues had not been resolved, "We had done an awful lot of the clearing of the underbrush for a serious negotiation over the toughest issues--the West Bank and Jerusalem. So there was something handed to the incoming Reagan administration."
The United States tried to re-launch the autonomy talks in 1982 but that effort was sidetracked by the outbreak of the 1982 Lebanon War
. In January 1982, Secretary of State Alexander Haig
went to the Middle East to try to revive the talks. He did not succeed.
The talks did not achieve a direct breakthrough but some of the ideas – a five-year interim period with delayed negotiations on the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip – were incorporated into the Oslo Accords
.
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 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...
. According to The Framework for Peace in the Middle East, one part of the 1978 Camp David Accords
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, following thirteen days of secret negotiations at Camp David. The two framework agreements were signed at the White House, and were witnessed by United States...
, 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...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
were to agree within one year on elections for a Palestinian “self-governing authority.” The idea was directly related to Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
’s idea of Palestinian autonomy.
President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
appointed Robert Schwarz Strauss
Robert Schwarz Strauss
Robert Schwarz Strauss is a figure in American politics and diplomacy. A Texas political figure, Strauss’s political service dates back to future president Lyndon Johnson’s first congressional campaign in 1937. By the 1950s, he was associated in Texas politics with the conservative faction of...
as his envoy to the autonomy talks. Neither the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
nor any other Palestinian organization was directly involved in the talks.
The talks began in late May 1979. The third round of talks were held at Herzliya, Israel on June 25–26, 1979. The delegations were led by Prime Minister Mustafa Khalil
Mustafa Khalil
Mustafa Khalil was an Egyptian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Egypt from October 2, 1978 to May 15, 1980. Khalil also served as the Egyptian foreign minister from 1979 until 1980. Khalil was best known for helping to negotiate the 1979 Camp David Accord peace treaty between Egypt...
(Egypt), Minister Yosef Burg
Yosef Burg
Yosef Shlomo Burg was an Israeli politician. In 1949, he was elected to the first Knesset, and served in many ministerial positions for the next 40 years. He was one of the founders of the National Religious Party.-Biography:...
(Israel), and Ambassador James Leonard (United States). Egypt said it did not speak for the Palestinians but rather sought Palestinian elections for a council that would represent the Palestinians.
Delegates met in Holland on February 27, 1980.
On May 8, 1980, Anwar El Sadat unilaterally suspended the negotiations. In July 1980, the talks resumed but Egypt again suspended them. By this time, the U.S. mediator was Sol Linowitz
Sol Linowitz
Sol Myron Linowitz was an American diplomat, lawyer, and businessman born in Trenton, NJ.Linowitz helped negotiate the return of the Panama Canal to Panama under the direction of President Jimmy Carter...
. By the end of the Carter administration. Linowitz claimed that 80% of the issues had been resolved. Wat T. Cluverius IV, who worked on Linowitz's team, later explained that while the hardest issues had not been resolved, "We had done an awful lot of the clearing of the underbrush for a serious negotiation over the toughest issues--the West Bank and Jerusalem. So there was something handed to the incoming Reagan administration."
The United States tried to re-launch the autonomy talks in 1982 but that effort was sidetracked by the outbreak of the 1982 Lebanon War
1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War , , called Operation Peace for Galilee by Israel, and later known in Israel as the Lebanon War and First Lebanon War, began on 6 June 1982, when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon...
. In January 1982, Secretary of State Alexander Haig
Alexander Haig
Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr. was a United States Army general who served as the United States Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and White House Chief of Staff under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
went to the Middle East to try to revive the talks. He did not succeed.
The talks did not achieve a direct breakthrough but some of the ideas – a five-year interim period with delayed negotiations on the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip – were incorporated into the Oslo Accords
Oslo Accords
The 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...
.