Oslo Accords Timeline

(September 13, 1993 – November 4, 1995 (key events: 1991 Madrid Conference to Present - day aftermath))

The Oslo Accords were a pair of landmark agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), negotiated secretly in Oslo, Norway, in 1993. The first accord established mutual recognition and laid out a framework for Palestinian self-governance in parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, while the second, signed in 1995, expanded Palestinian autonomy. Although they marked the first direct face-to-face agreement between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the accords ultimately failed to achieve a final peace settlement. More Less

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Negotiations and Agreements

Camp David Accords signed

Sep 17, 1978

The Oslo Accords were based on the 1978 Camp David Accords and show considerable similarity with them. Like Camp David, the Oslo Accords merely aimed at an interim agreement that allowed first steps toward a broader peace.

Image source: Camp David Accords

Secret Oslo back channel talks begin

Jan 1993 - Sep 1993

The Oslo process began in 1993 with secret talks between Israel and the PLO. Norwegian mediators facilitated a back channel, and Waage later found 'not a single scrap of paper' from January to September 1993, as participants kept documents privately.

Letters of Mutual Recognition exchanged

Sep 9, 1993

In their Letters of Mutual Recognition of September 9, 1993, days before the signing of the Oslo I Accord, each party agreed to accept the other as a negotiation partner.

Oslo I Accord signed in Washington, D.C

Sep 13, 1993

The Oslo I Accord was signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993, establishing an interim framework between Israel and the PLO, including start of negotiations on a final settlement to be concluded before May 4, 1999.

International conference held in Washington, D.C

Oct 1, 1993

After the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, an international conference was held in Washington, D.C., following up on the agreements.

Deadlines set for further Oslo I implementation

Oct 1993

Under Oslo I Annex II, several matters had to be agreed upon within two months from October 1993. Permanent status negotiations would start no later than May 1996, two years after the Gaza–Jericho Agreement, and be concluded before May 1999.

Gaza–Jericho Agreement (Cairo Agreement) signed

May 4, 1994

The Gaza–Jericho Agreement, also known as the Cairo Agreement, was signed in 1994. It created the Palestinian Authority (PA or PNA) and began the five-year interim period that ended on May 4, 1999.

Agreement signed at Erez Crossing

Aug 29, 1994

This agreement was signed on August 29, 1994 at the Erez Crossing, further implementing arrangements under the Gaza–Jericho framework between Israel and the Palestinians.

Image source: Gaza–Jericho Agreement

Rabin, Peres, and Arafat awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Oct 14, 1994

In 1994, Arafat and Rabin were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Shimon Peres, honoring their roles in reaching the Oslo Accords.

Israel–Jordan peace treaty concluded without Palestinians

Oct 26, 1994

When an Israel–Jordan peace treaty was concluded on October 26, 1994, it was concluded without the Palestinians, marking a separate track in the Middle East peace process.

Image source: Israel–Jordan peace treaty

Agreement signed at Cairo

Aug 27, 1995

This agreement was signed on August 27, 1995 at Cairo, advancing implementation of the Oslo process ahead of the formal signing of the Oslo II Accord in Taba.

Image source: Oslo II Accord

Oslo II Accord signed in Taba

Sep 28, 1995

The Oslo II Accord was signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995. It expanded Palestinian autonomy, dividing the West Bank into Areas A, B, and C, and set out further redeployments of Israeli forces.

Permanent status negotiations deadline passes

May 1996

Per Oslo I Article V, permanent status negotiations about remaining issues were to start no later than May 1996, two years after the signing of the Gaza–Jericho Agreement, and be concluded before May 1999.

Further redeployments stalled by March 1998

Mar 1998

By March 1998, none of the further withdrawals required under the Oslo II Accord's scheduled redeployments had occurred, leaving the process stalled.

Wye River Memorandum signed

Oct 1998

In October 1998, the parties signed the Wye River Memorandum, promising resumption of the redeployments, but only the first stage was implemented.

Image source: Wye River Memorandum

Five-year interim period ends

May 4, 1999

The interim period ended on May 4, 1999, five years after the signing of the Gaza–Jericho Agreement, without a comprehensive peace agreement having been reached.

Image source: Oslo I Accord

Camp David Summit attempts to save the Accords

Jul 2000

At the 2000 Camp David Summit, the United States tried to save the Accords by reviving the negotiations. The summit failed, and Shlomo Ben-Ami later described how Oslo had made the PLO a collaborator in cutting short an authentically democratic struggle for Palestinian independence.

Image source: 2000 Camp David Summit

Aftermath and Assessment

General closure imposed on occupied territories

1993

A permanent 'general closure' on the occupied territories was enforced in 1993, regulating access to Jerusalem and Israel and making travel between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip nearly impossible. The UN estimates this comprehensive closure was in place for 353 complete days between March 1993 and June 1997.

Norway commissions official history of Oslo talks

2001

In 2001, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which had been at the heart of the Oslo process, commissioned Waage to produce an official, comprehensive history of the Norwegian-mediated back channel negotiations.

Palestinian aid exceeds $40 billion since 1994

2020

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, aid to Palestinians totaled over $40 billion between 1994 and 2020, much of it tied to state-building under the Oslo framework.

Ross and Makovsky editorial defends Accords' legacy

2023

Acknowledging their shortcomings, in a 2023 editorial for The Washington Post, Dennis Ross and David Makovsky emphasized the Accords' strengths and noted regular collaboration between Israel and the PA on security and economic matters, noting the PA retained a degree of control over close to 40 percent of the West Bank.

Violence and Opposition

Hamas bombing campaign against peace process

Jan 1, 1994 - Dec 31, 1994

In 1994, Hamas killed around 55 Israelis and injured over 150 in an effort to derail the peace process, stating its attacks were part of jihad against Israel's occupation as well as retaliation for the Cave of the Patriarchs Massacre.

Assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin

Nov 4, 1995

Far-right Israelis opposed the Oslo Accords, and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995 by a right-wing Israeli extremist for signing them.

Image source: Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

Assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin

Netanyahu elected; Likud opposes Oslo Accords

May 29, 1996

According to Ronen Bergman, the Hamas bombing campaign and failure of Israeli intelligence to prevent it contributed to the defeat of Peres and Labor in the 1996 general election and victory of Netanyahu's Likud party, which opposed the Oslo Accords. Shlaim highlights Netanyahu's largely successful attempts to undermine the accords after his 1996 election.

Second Intifada ends the Oslo process

Sep 2000

A number of agreements were reached until the Oslo process ended after the failure of the Camp David Summit in 2000 and the outbreak of the Second Intifada. During the Intifada, military coordination was intermittent and did not function effectively in 2000–2006.

Image source: Second Intifada

Israeli military reoccupies areas under Palestinian control

2002

During the Second Intifada, in 2002, the Israeli military re-occupied many of the areas previously turned over to Palestinian control under the Oslo Accords.

Security Cooperation

Electric fence constructed around Gaza Strip

1994

In 1994, an electric fence was constructed around the Gaza Strip as part of Israel's security measures accompanying the closure regime on the territories.

Israel withdraws from Jericho and most of Gaza Strip

May 1994

Following the Gaza–Jericho Agreement and prior to the first Palestinian Authority elections, Israel withdrew in 1994 from Jericho and from most of the Gaza Strip, handing control to Palestinian authorities.

Military intelligence coordination officially begins

1996

Military intelligence coordination between Israeli and Palestinian security forces officially began in 1996 as part of the security arrangements established by the Oslo Accords.

Israeli withdrawal from most of Hebron

Jan 1997

In accordance with the Hebron Protocol, Israel withdrew from 80% of Hebron in January 1997, handing Area H-1 over to Palestinian control as stipulated in the Oslo framework.

Image source: Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron

Shin Bet praises security cooperation in analysis

2016

A security analysis presented to the Israeli government by Shin Bet in 2016 praised the security cooperation. According to the IDF, Palestinian security forces were responsible for about 40% of arrests of terrorism suspects in the West Bank in early 2016.

Palestinian Authority suspends security coordination

May 2020

Following the announcement that Israel will unilaterally annex territories in May 2020, the Palestinian Authority ceased security coordination with Israel.

Security cooperation restored after UAE normalization deal

Nov 2020

In August 2020, the annexation process was put on hold following the Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement, and in November 2020 security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority was restored.

Image source: Abraham Accords

PA suspends coordination after Jenin raid

Jan 26, 2023

Immediately following an Israeli military raid on Jenin on January 26, 2023 in which 10 Palestinians were killed, the Palestinian Authority suspended security coordination with Israel.

Qawasmeh declares decisions irreversible

Feb 5, 2023

On February 5, 2023, Osama Qawasmeh, member of the Political Committee of the PLO, said the leadership's decisions were irreversible and in force regarding relations with Israel and action at international institutions, citing unsustainability of the status quo.

Palestinian Governance

First Palestinian Legislative Council elections

Jan 20, 1996

When the Oslo I Accord was signed in 1993, neither a government nor a parliament existed for the Palestinian territories. The first elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) were held on January 20, 1996.

Image source: 1996 Palestinian general election

Key Facts

The Oslo I Accord was signed on September 13, 1993, at the White House, with the famous handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat witnessed by U.S. President Bill Clinton.
The negotiations were conducted in complete secrecy in Oslo, Norway, facilitated by Norwegian diplomats, bypassing the official Washington-based talks.
Through the accords, Israel officially recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people, while the PLO recognized Israel's right to exist.
Oslo II, signed on September 28, 1995, divided the West Bank into Areas A, B, and C with different levels of Palestinian and Israeli control.
The accords created the Palestinian Authority (PA) as an interim self-governing body, but final status issues—Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, borders, and security—were left unresolved, contributing to the eventual collapse of the peace process.

Source

This Oslo Accords timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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