Middle East peace conference held in the United States
Annapolis Logo
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, US President George Bush and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Annapolis Conference
The
Annapolis Conference
was a Middle East
peace conference
held on 27 November 2007, at the
United States Naval Academy
in
Annapolis, Maryland
, United States. The conference aimed to revive the
Israeli?Palestinian peace process
and implement the
"
Roadmap for peace
"
. The conference ended with the issuing of a joint statement from all parties. After the Annapolis Conference, the negotiations were continued. Both Mahmoud Abbas and Ehud Olmert presented each other with competing peace proposals. Ultimately no agreement was reached.
Attendees
Delegations to the Annapolis Conference, color-coded by affiliation and/or role
The
United States
organized and hosted the conference.
[1]
Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas
,
Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert
, and U.S. President
George W. Bush
attended the meeting.
[2]
A partial list of over 40 invitees was released on 20 November 2007, including China, the
Arab League
, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations;
[3]
most of whom accepted the invitation.
Israeli Foreign Minister
Tzipi Livni
headed the Israeli negotiating team, with her diplomatic and legal adviser
Tal Becker
as lead negotiator and counterpart to Palestinian negotiator
Saeb Erekat
. Notes regarding Erekat and Becker's talks were later leaked as part of the
Palestine Papers
.
[4]
[5]
Objectives and background
The conference aimed to revive the
Peace process
and gather broad international support.
[1]
The objective was to restart negotiations on a final status agreement that addresses all core issues, and the establishment of a
Palestinian state
through the
Roadmap for peace
.
[6]
A draft document was leaked by
Haaretz
before the conference, with the final and forthcoming
Annapolis Joint Declaration
expected to outline the scope of what will eventually be final peace talks.
[7]
Positions
Americans
Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
visited the Middle East on a four-day tour of shuttle diplomacy in mid-October to shore up support for the summit,
[8]
and hinted at the General Assembly of the
United Jewish Communities
(GA), in
Nashville, Tennessee
on 13 November 2007, that Israelis are prepared to give up the
West Bank
in exchange for peace.
[9]
This was Rice's 8th visit to the region during the Bush Administration.
Palestinian
Mahmoud Abbas addresses the Conference
Abbas stated that a clear agenda was necessary for the conference.
[10]
He demanded a Palestinian state comprising an area equal to the territory of the
West Bank
and
Gaza Strip
.
[11]
He further demanded that all six central issues be debated at the conference: Jerusalem, refugees and right of return, borders, settlements, water and security.
[12]
Abbas said that he hoped to reach an agreement with Israel by the end of November 2007,
[13]
which Abbas would then put to a referendum.
[14]
Furthermore, he expressed his hope that a final agreement with Israel would be possible within six months of the conference.
[15]
Israeli
In October 2007, Prime Minister Olmert indicated that he would be willing to give up parts of East Jerusalem as part of a broader peace settlement at Annapolis,
[16]
drawing considerable criticism from right-wing Israeli and foreign Jewish organizations and
Christian Zionists
.
[17]
[18]
[19]
On 27 November 2007,
Ovadia Yosef
, the spiritual leader of the
Shas
party, announced that his party would leave the government coalition, thereby ending the coalition's majority in the
Knesset
, if
Ehud Olmert
agreed to divide Jerusalem. Shas minister
Eli Yishai
explained: "Jerusalem is above all political considerations. I will not help enable concessions on Jerusalem."
[20]
Olmert's ability to follow through on his earlier comments about concessions in East Jerusalem is therefore in question.
Joint statement
George W. Bush addresses the participants at the pre-conference dinner on November 26
Prior to the conference, President Bush met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the White House.
[21]
After meeting with Olmert and Abbas, President Bush read from a joint statement, signed by both parties, supporting a
Two-State Solution
.
"We agreed to immediately launch good faith, bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including core issues, without exception,"
and that,
"The final peace settlement will establish Palestine as a
homeland for the Palestinian people
just as Israel is the
homeland for the Jewish people
."
[22]
Result
A joint understanding, read by US president George Bush, stated that
"In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security"
the parties agreed to
"immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements"
. A steering committee would meet from 12 December 2007, followed by biweekly negotiations between President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert.
The parties also committed to immediately implement their respective obligations under the
Roadmap for peace
and to continue the implementation of it until they had reached a peace treaty, to be concluded before the end of 2008.
[23]
Both Abbas and Olmert made their proposals. Abbas refused to sign on Olmert's peace offer as Olmert did not allow Abbas more than one day to study the map. Nevertheless negotiations continued, but got increasingly difficult as Olmert became entangled in domestic corruption charges.
[24]
Negotiations over borders, Jerusalem and refugees
President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert had six meetings since June 2007 to try to agree on some basic issues ahead of the summit.
[25]
A final round of discussions between Olmert and Abbas was held in Washington, D.C., on 26 November 2007, the day prior to the conference. After the Annapolis Conference, the negotiations were continued.
[26]
Accounts on these negotiations differ. Israeli author Bernard Avishai talked to both Olmert and Abbas. Abbas proposed to Olmert a map in which Israel would annex 1.9% of the West Bank (which would contain over 60% of the settlements) in exchange for same size of land inside Israel of equal quality.
[27]
Olmert countered by proposing to annex 6.3% of the West Bank and giving Palestinians 5.8%. Abbas hoped Americans would propose a compromise number.
[27]
The Israeli settlement of
Ariel
, deep inside a potential Palestinian state, was a controversial issue for Olmert and Abbas.
[27]
Avishai writes that in Jerusalem both sides agreed the
Old City of Jerusalem
would be governed by an international body (consisting of Israel, Palestine, United States, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and possibly Egypt and the Vatican). Both sides agreed that Israel would get all Jewish neighbourhoods and Palestne would get almost all Arab neighbourhoods, but Abbas also wanted sovereignty over the Arab neighbourhood of
Silwan
, which Olmert proposed should instead be governed by the international body.
[27]
On refugees, Abbas agreed that all of them couldn't return, and that Israel's Jewish majority should be preserved, but considered Olmert's offer of 5,000 as being too low.
[27]
According to one source, he counter-offered that Israel take 15,000 refugees per year, over 10 years.
[28]
Negotiations were formally suspended in January 2009, when Israel
invaded the Gaza Strip
.
[27]
But Abbas continued to call on the US to broker a deal.
[27]
Reaction
Protests and boycotts
Hamas
and
Grand Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei
of Iran called for a boycott of the conference,
[29]
[30]
and on November 23 Hamas held a demonstration in the Gaza Strip. In the
West Bank
, large demonstrations opposed to the conference were quelled heavy-handedly, and demonstrators were beaten by
Fatah
militants.
[31]
The president of Iran,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
, denounced the event, stating that it was "A political show for the media which is in Israel's interest".
[32]
On the other hand, Jewish activists and organizations opposed to Israel's concession in a peace settlement of any part of
Jerusalem
or the
West Bank
became increasingly vocal against the Olmert government, with protests in front of Israeli embassies in New York and Washington, D.C., during the summit.
[33]
On 27 November 2007,
Rabbi Dov Lior
of the
Yesha
Rabbis Council called an "emergency meeting" in order to discuss the upcoming conference. During the meeting, Lior stated: "No leader, in any generation, has the right to give away
Eretz Israel
... we call on the Jews abroad, and especially on community leaders and rabbis, to join us in our efforts against this treaty and its implications. ... Together, we will save the people of Israel from the government's terrible plan." Lior further stated that peace would only be achieved by "[cleansing] the country of Arabs and [resettling] them in the countries where they came from."
[34]
A number of large mainstream American Jewish and Christian groups joined together with a majority of
Knesset
to oppose any negotiation that would include altering Jerusalem's status. They formed the
Coordinating Council on Jerusalem
.
Support
Organizations that approved of the conference also mobilized and prepared to demonstrate their support for the summit.
[35]
[36]
The United Nations prepared a resolution to be adopted by the Security Council on November 30, 2007, expressing support for the outcome of the conference. The resolution was withdrawn after Israel raised complaints. In addition to Israel's complaints, the Palestinian Authority also said it wasn't interested in a resolution, according to UN sources.
[37]
See also
References
- ^
a
b
U.S. State Department, 20 November 2007,
"
Announcement of Annapolis Conference
"
. Retrieved
2013-06-25
.
- ^
"
Abbas says upcoming Mideast conference 'a new beginning'
",
People's Daily
, Sept. 29, 2007.
- ^
Associated, The (April 2, 2008).
"Haaretz, 20 November 2007, Partial list of confirmed invitees to Annapolis peace summit"
. Haaretz.com
. Retrieved
August 9,
2011
.
- ^
Black, Ian (2011-01-24).
"Palestine papers: Tal Becker"
.
Guardian
. Retrieved
12 January
2024
.
- ^
Ravid, Barak (2008-08-09).
"The Diplomat's Diplomat"
.
Haaretz
. Archived from
the original
on 2024-01-12
. Retrieved
12 January
2024
.
- ^
Aluf Benn,
"Annapolis joint declaration to focus on goals of final status talks"
.
Haaretz
, 14 November 2007
- ^
Haaretz
, 17 November 2007,
"Draft, subject to approval, King David Hotel"
- ^
Ravid, Barak (2007-10-18).
"Source: Joint Israel-PA statement to address 'all core issues'
"
.
Haaretz
. Archived from
the original
on 2009-12-15
. Retrieved
2021-06-09
.
- ^
Davidovitz, Grig (November 13, 2007).
"Rice: Israelis are prepared to give up West Bank for peace"
.
Haaretz
.
Archived
from the original on September 5, 2009
. Retrieved
August 9,
2011
.
- ^
"
Abbas calls for clear agenda for Mideast peace conference
",
People's Daily
, October 1, 2007.
- ^
"
Abbas spells out land demand
", October 10, 2007
- ^
(in German)
"
Hamas bietet der Fatah Gesprache an
Archived
2009-02-14 at the
Wayback Machine
", die Presse.com, Nov 10. 2007
- ^
"
Abbas, Olmert look into way of launching final negotiations: PLO official
",
People's Daily
, October 3, 2007,
- ^
"
Abbas to call for referendum in case deal reached with Israel:official
",
People's Daily
, October 3, 2007
- ^
"
Abbas, Olmert likely to meet Tuesday: Erekat
",
People's Daily
, September 30, 2007
- ^
Kershner, Isabel (November 15, 2007).
"Israelis Press Plan to Block the Division of Jerusalem"
.
The New York Times
. Jerusalem (Israel)
. Retrieved
August 9,
2011
.
- ^
Besser, James (October 18, 2007).
"New Coalition To Fight Any Jerusalem Division, Orthodox, Evangelicals join forces to oppose Olmert's intentions in advance of Annapolis summit"
. The Jewish Week. Archived from
the original
on February 12, 2009.
- ^
Mitchell, Chris (November 13, 2007).
"Is Mideast Peace Conference a Mistake"
. Christian Broadcast Network. Archived from
the original
on November 17, 2007.
- ^
Zippor, Amihai (November 15, 2007).
"Coalition MKs, Opposition Support United Jerusalem Bill"
. IHC News. Archived from
the original
on January 26, 2008.
- ^
Sela, Neta (June 20, 1995).
"Yosef: Shash will quit government if J'lem divided, By Neta Sela, November 27, 2007"
.
Ynetnews
. Ynetnews.com.
Archived
from the original on June 29, 2011
. Retrieved
August 9,
2011
.
- ^
"Mideast Peace Conference Opens"
.
Los Angeles Times
. November 27, 2007
. Retrieved
August 9,
2011
.
- ^
"Israel, PA agree to reach accord by end of 2008"
Archived
2007-11-28 at the
Wayback Machine
.
Haaretz
, 27 November 2007
- ^
Joint Understanding Read by President Bush at Annapolis Conference
Archived
September 22, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine
. Memorial Hall, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland; 27 November 2007
- ^
Federman, Josef (November 19, 2015).
"Abbas admits he rejected 2008 peace offer from Olmert"
.
Times of Israel
.
- ^
Al Jazeera, Palestine Papers, 15 October 2007,
"Meeting Minutes: 2nd Negotiation Team Meeting"
- ^
Al Jazeera, Palestine Papers, 24 February 2008,
"Meeting Minutes: 1st Final Status Negotiations Meeting"
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Avishai, Bernard (2011-02-07).
"A Plan for Peace That Still Could Be"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2023-11-02
.
- ^
"Refugees First: A New Approach to Middle East Peace"
.
Middle East Institute
. Retrieved
2023-11-02
.
- ^
"
Haniya urges conference boycott
",
BBC News
, October 6, 2007.
- ^
"Iran leader urges summit boycott"
.
BBC News
. October 13, 2007
. Retrieved
April 25,
2010
.
- ^
"
Youtube.com clip
"
- ^
"Ahmadinejad: Support Annapolis - support Zionist occupation"
.
Ynetnews
. Ynetnews.com. June 20, 1995.
Archived
from the original on June 29, 2011
. Retrieved
August 9,
2011
.
- ^
"Realistic Dove, Dan Fleshler"
. Realisticdove.org. Archived from
the original
on July 20, 2011
. Retrieved
August 9,
2011
.
- ^
Nahshoni, Kobi (June 20, 1995).
"Rabbi: Cleanse country of Arabs - Israel Jewish Scene, Ynetnews"
.
Ynetnews
. Ynetnews.com.
Archived
from the original on June 29, 2011
. Retrieved
August 9,
2011
.
- ^
Amos, Daled (November 15, 2007).
"Rally to Protest Against The Division of Jerusalem"
. Daledamos.blogspot.com.
Archived
from the original on July 19, 2011
. Retrieved
August 9,
2011
.
- ^
"UPF Statement on Annapolis Peace Talks"
. Archive.upf.org. November 27, 2007
. Retrieved
August 9,
2011
.
- ^
Shamir, Shlomo (November 30, 2007).
"U.S. withdraws UN Annapolis resolution after Israel objects"
. Haaretz. Archived from
the original
on February 11, 2009
. Retrieved
August 8,
2011
.
External links
Wikisource
has original text related to this article:
|
---|
|
|
|
Diplomacy
|
---|
Timeline
| 1948?1991
| |
---|
1990s
| |
---|
2000s
| |
---|
2010s
| |
---|
|
---|
United Nations
| |
---|
|
|
|
---|
Background
| |
---|
1948?1983
| |
---|
1991?2016
| |
---|
2019?
present
| |
---|