The endless pursuit
Since the Middle East war of June 1967, there have been many peace negotiations. Some of these have been successful, including those between Egypt and Israe,l and Israel and Jordan, but a settlement is still elusice in the core conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.
UN Security Council Resolution 242, 1967
Resolution 242 was passed on November 22, 1967 and embodies the principle that has guided most of the subsequent peace plans — the exchange of land for peace. The resolution called for the “withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict”, and “respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognised boundaries free from threats or acts of force”. ■
Camp David Accords, 1978
There were several peace plans following the 1967 war, but nothing happened until after the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. A new mood for peace, was shown by a historic visit to occupied Jerusalem by Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat, in November 1977. US President Jimmy Carter capitalised on this and invited President Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, for talks at Camp David. The first accord laid down principles for peace. The second accord was the the Camp David framework for the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. This followed in 1979, after an Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai. This was the first recognition of Israel as a state by a major Arab country. Sadat was later assassinated. ■
The Madrid Conference, 1991
This conference, co-sponsored by the US and the Soviet Union, was designed to encourage Arab countries to sign agreements with Israel. Jordan, ■