Israeli-Arab Negotiations:Background, Conflicts, and U.S. Policy
Summary
After the first Gulf war, in 1991, a new peace process consisting of bilateralnegotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon achievedmixed results. Milestones included the Israeli-Palestine Liberation Organization(PLO) Declaration of Principles (DOP) of September 13, 1993, providing forPalestinian empowerment and some territorial control, the Israeli-Jordanian peacetreaty of October 26, 1994, and the Interim Self-Rule in the West Bank or Oslo IIaccord of September 28, 1995, which led to the formation of the PalestinianAuthority (PA) to govern the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, Israeli-Syriannegotiations were intermittent and difficult, and postponed indefinitely in 2000.Negotiations with Lebanon also were unsuccessful, leading Israel to withdrawunilaterally from south Lebanon on May 24, 2000. President Clinton held a summitwith Israeli and Palestinian leaders at Camp David on final status issues that July, butthey did not produce an accord. A Palestinian uprising or
intifadah
began inSeptember. On February 6, 2001, Ariel Sharon was elected Prime Minister of Israel,and rejected steps taken at Camp David and afterwards.The post 9/11 war on terrorism prompted renewed U.S. focus on a peaceprocess, emphasizing as its goal a democratic Palestinian state as a precondition forachieving peace. On April 30, 2003, the United States, the U.N., European Union,and Russia (known as the “Quartet”) presented a “Roadmap” to Palestinianstatehood. Neither Israel nor the Palestinians have implemented it. Israel unilaterallydisengaged (withdrew) from the Gaza Strip and four small settlements in the WestBank in August 2005.On January 9, 2005, Mahmud Abbas, who seeks final status talks, was electedto succeed Yasir Arafat as President of the PA. The victory of Hamas, which Israeland the United States consider a terrorist group, in the January 2006 Palestinianparliamentary elections complicated prospects for a peace process. The UnitedStates, Israel, and the Quartet would not deal with a Hamas-led government until itdisavowed violence, recognized Israel, and accepted prior Israeli-Palestinian accords.The June 2007 Hamas military takeover of the Gaza Strip and President Abbas’sreplacement of the Hamas-led unity government led to resumed international contactswith the PA government. The Quartet named former British Prime Minister TonyBlair to be its Representative, but it is uncertain if recent developments will producerenewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.Congress is interested in issues related to Middle East peace because of itsoversight role in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy, its support for Israel, and keenconstituent interest. It is especially concerned about U.S. financial and othercommitments to the parties, and the 110
th
Congress is engaged in these matters.Congress also has endorsed Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, althoughU.S. Administrations have consistently maintained that the fate of the city is thesubject of final status negotiations. This CRS report will be updated as developmentswarrant. See also CRS Report RL33566,
Lebanon: The Israel-Hamas-HezbollahConflict
, coordinated by Jeremy Sharp.
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