The Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO
- Date
- 13 September 1993
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Middle East
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
On 13 September 1993, at a ceremony on the White House lawn hosted by US President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat sealed the first Oslo Accord, the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, with a historic handshake.
Negotiated secretly in Norway, the accord followed an exchange of letters days earlier in which the PLO recognised Israel's right to exist and renounced terrorism while Israel recognised the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people. The agreement created a Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority and called for phased Israeli withdrawals from parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, launching a peace process intended to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through negotiation. Rabin, Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres received the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize. The Oslo II Accord followed in 1995. Although the process ultimately stalled and Rabin was assassinated in November 1995, the accords reshaped the framework of Middle East diplomacy and remain a reference point in subsequent efforts and disputes over a two-state solution.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Empires active in 13 September 1993
Related politics & governance events
- The end of apartheid and Nelson Mandela's election in South Africa27 April 1994 (election); 10 May 1994 (inauguration)
- Dissolution of the Soviet UnionAugust–December 1991
- German reunification3 October 1990
- Fall of the Berlin Wall9 November 1989
- Revolutions of 1989 across Eastern Europe1989 (Autumn of Nations)
- Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika1985–1991 (from 11 March 1985)
Further reading
The wider story
A History of the Modern Middle East
The go-to survey of the region from the late Ottoman era to the present.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.