Middle East Conflict Primary Sources | The Oslo Accords

Excerpt from the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles (September 13, 1993)

Reprinted in Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Edited by Charles D. Smith
Published in 2001

"The Government of the State of Israel and the PLO team...agree that it is time to put an end to decades of confrontation and conflict...to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace...."

During rounds of negotiations, or discussions aimed at settling disputes, between Israel and its Arab neighbors in the early 1990s, the role of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) became more and more important. Previously, Israel had considered the PLO to be a terrorist group and refused diplomatic relations with it. But as Israel conducted negotiations with Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, the authority of the PLO as a representative of Palestinians became a reality when delegates from Arab countries...