The Palestinians themselves did not want the Palestinian state to be one of the five issues included in a final agreement, because it was taken for granted. We didn’t write anything about and, of course, the Palestinian state was not mentioned in the accords.Ī. ![]() I cannot speak for everyone, although I can say that it was certainly my intention. Did all the parties - Americans, Israelis, Palestinians - view the Oslo Accords as an initial step towards a final solution that established a future Palestinian state?Ī. The violence on both sides intensified after Oslo, starting with the First Intifada. The situation has changed due to all the new settlers in the West Bank, waning Israeli peace efforts, and the fading Palestinian hope for an independent state. The Palestinians, tragically, have become resigned to their limited options and this disappointment fuels the divide between Hamas and Fatah. The international community hardly even makes these demands anymore. We created a deluxe occupation that cost us nothing, with no consideration for continuing Oslo or additional withdrawals of the Israeli army. No doubt, Israel’s right-wing exploited the international agreement by neglecting the day-to-day needs of occupied Palestinians - education, culture and their own police force. However, the Oslo Accords ultimately became the official agreement. It was meant to conclude after five years, on May 4, 1999, and transition into a lasting agreement instead. The Oslo Accords are still in effect, and that is its greatest failure. The potential for peace is still there, but it seems like a very distant goal. In Israel, the hope for peace has dwindled. This has left Palestinians feeling disillusioned, with no visible political prospects. There has been a considerable increase in settlements and settlers, which undoubtedly detracts from any potential political resolution. ![]() The right-wing has dominated and actively works to undermine the Oslo Accords, albeit unofficially. There is no doubt that Israel has changed. How do you view Israel 30 years after the Oslo Accords?Īnswer. Despite the prevailing mood of pessimism in Israel, Beilin remains optimistic that peace can be achieved. Jewish settlements are also a major obstacle. He holds both Israelis and Palestinians responsible for the stubborn impasse that persists, but says that Hebron settler Baruch Goldstein struck a major blow to peace efforts when he murdered 29 Palestinians in a mosque. Though designed to last five years and be supplanted by a permanent peace agreement, it is still in effect. Talking about Oslo’s “failure” is difficult for Beilin - it was his brainchild, after all. ![]() He remained committed to promoting peace initiatives with the Palestinians, including the Geneva Initiative in 2003 and an Israeli-Palestinian confederation proposal that was largely ignored a year ago. ![]() After serving as Minister of Justice and Minister of Religious Affairs under Prime Minister Ehud Barak, he switched from the Labor Party to Meretz, the pacifist, left-wing party that he eventually led. Peres, Rabin and PLO chief Yasser Arafat received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for the groundbreaking agreement.īeilin opened a secret communication channel with the PLO and later worked with Mahmoud Abbas, the current Palestinian president, to outline a definitive peace agreement. As Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under Shimon Peres in the Yitzhak Rabin administration, Beilin is considered the architect of the 30-year-old Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Beilin’s name is forever associated with the quest for peace with the Palestinians. He was born in Petah Tikva (central district of Israel) a month after David Ben Gurion proclaimed Israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948 and established a Jewish state that would take effect upon termination of the British Mandate. Yossi Beilin is the same age as Israel: 75.
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