Abu-Mazin concluded his letter by saying that the subject
was completely closed after that for reasons set forth in
his letter. He did not give an explanation for his agreement
to show the ideas that had been arrived at to Rabin or about
whether that agreement bore any other interpretation other
than the establishment of the principles that Beilin asked
to pass on. In a studious reading of the aforementioned denial,
he confirms the existence of a text that Beilin asked if he
[Beilin] could pass along to Prime Minister Rabin and he ['Abbas]
agreed to that...
What follows are the extensive details of the document. A
copy of the document is retained by former Norwegian [as published]
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sten Anderson after he, in turn,
obtained the blessing of American President Bill Clinton and
a limited number of other leaders whom he met to do so.
'Abbas - Beilin Document
The participants in drafting the document:
On the Israeli side:
Mr. Yossi Beilin, minister in the Labor Party government
and advisor to Mr. Peres.
Professor Ya'ir Hirshfield, one of the most important negotiators
in the Oslo talks and one of the authors of its agreements.
Dr. Ron Pundak (40), historian and orientalist in the Truman
Institute...
Dr. Yossi al-Ghawr, academic researcher.
Counselor Nimrod Novak, political advisor to Shimon Peres.
Mr. Uri Savir, general secretary of the Israeli Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Dan Zeldman, legal affairs expert.
Mr. Itzhaq Ralter from Hebrew University.
On the Palestinian side:
Mr. Mahmud 'Abbas (Abu-Mazin), Secretary of the Executive
Committee and member of the Central Committee of the Fatah
Movement.
Dr. Ahmad al-Khalidi.
Mr. Hussayn al-Agha.
Dr. Siri Nasibah.
Mr. Hasan 'Asfur, assistant to Mr. Mahmud 'Abbas.
Mr. Mahdi 'Abd-al-Hadi, Director of the Palestinian Academic
Center for International Studies.
Professor Bernard Sabila (from the city of Bethlehem).
Sponsors and Observers:
Mr. Sten Anderson, former foreign minister of Sweden.
Mr. Jean Pierre Colon, counselor of international law at
the French Zaymer University.
Mr. Lucien Shamangwi, international jurisprudence expert
and a representative of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Roland Dupertan, Counselor of State for Sciences in
the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. H. S., a well-known Palestinian businessman (who is
responsible for covering the travel and lodging costs of the
delegations in the various European capitals).
Place and Time:
The meetings were held over continuous periods that lasted
more than a year and a half during which the parties of the
two sides had more than twenty secret meetings in Jerusalem,
Cyprus, Amsterdam, Oslo, London, Athens, and Paris.
The two sides succeeded in maintaining the secrecy of these
meetings by continuously changing the faces in attendance
and rotating them among different locations. Nevertheless,
Israeli intelligence was able to discover these contacts when
they were at an advanced stage as it had an effect during
the Oslo meetings of August 1993.
Among the most important sessions that took place during
the meetings were those in which the document's articles took
shape on 13 and 14 May 1995. These sessions were held at the
headquarters of the French Institute for International Relations
(IFRI) in Paris in the presence of observers from the French
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The document was completed during the last week of October
1995...This document was drafted with the knowledge of both
Yasir 'Arafat and Yitzhaq Rabin, who wanted to announce it
a few weeks before the Israeli elections so that it could
be a basis for his platform in June 1996.
However his assassination, which occurred just twelve days
after the document's completion on 5 November 1995, led to
keeping the document's portfolio completely secret. When it
was turned over to his successor, Shimon Peres, he preferred
to maintain the document's secrecy and not disclose it at
the time for election reasons.
Nevertheless the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" received a
telegram from its correspondent in Athens that lifted the
veil from the provocative secret meetings and quickly traced
back the meetings with the utmost complexity. This led to
the disclosure of the negotiators' identities and what they
had reached in the aforementioned document..."
Details of the Document...
I... General Introduction:
The document states the acknowledgement of both parties
that the Oslo 1 and 2 agreements are "the basis upon which
the final solution is predicated." This is set forth clearly
in the document. It also states that full implementation of
the articles in the two agreements, in accordance with their
defined phases, shall render null and void any subsequent
liability pertaining to land, population, refugees, or property.
It shall form a commitment by both parties to a permanent
solution that contains an end to their conflicts and the Arab,
regional, or international resolutions that have resulted
therefrom. These include all the resolutions that have been
issued by the UN General Assembly, the International Security
Council, and the relevant organizations emanating from those
two bodies.
The two parties shall be obligated to fight all means of
violence and counter-violence and they shall be committed
to cultivating trust during the test of intentions period
that shall extend for a minimum of ten years and a maximum
of twenty years. During this period the network of existing
relations shall be based on trust, mutual cooperation, and
permanent peace between the two peoples.
II. The Subject of Jerusalem:
The text points out that it is imagined that the boundaries
of the greater city will be expanded to include districts
and villages (Abu-Dis, al-'Ayzariyah, Salwan).
Thereafter, the Palestinian authority will be able to take
a capital and administrative center from the newly-created
districts whose name will become "Al-Quds" in Arabic and Latin
characters and not "Jerusalem" while the remaining districts
within the currently existing boundaries of the city will
be called "Jerusalem."
This is to prevent any confusion and to recognize "Jerusalem"
as the eternal capital of Israel. The new districts created
from Abu-Dis, Salwan, and al-'Ayzariyah shall be an independent
geographic and political unit that will form the capital for
the state that will be declared after the end of the test
of intentions period stipulated by this agreement. This state
will be a manifestation of the spiritual and historical aspirations
of the Palestinian people.
If there is widespread Palestinian opposition to this idea,
then the alternative is to establish the proposed Palestinian
capital in the city of Ramallah, which is located in the northern
outskirts of the city of Jerusalem.
With respect to the Arab population in the Israeli capital
of Jerusalem, a local municipal council will be formed to
manage their local affairs under the supervision of the Israeli
municipal council that is responsible for the whole city.
Only the Israeli police will be outside the purview of this
council's responsibility (the technical use of the document
prepared by former Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek can be for
this purpose).
In consideration for the special sensitivity that surrounds
the status of the city of Jerusalem, no walls will be built
to separate the two former halves of the city.
With respect to the Islamic and Christian holy sites in
the city, either the Palestinian or Jordanian flag will be
raised above them (in accordance with what the two sides agree
on). They shall remain open to all with a guarantee of freedom
to enter these sites that is not incompatible with Israeli
political sovereignty over its territory, in consideration
of the fact that they lie within the geographical boundaries
of its eternal capital.
Those places shall have a status similar to that of Vatican
headquarters in the Italian capital of Rome or the District
of Columbia in the United States. Consideration shall be given
to not neglecting Jordan's interests related to the Jerusalem
al-Sharif Mosque or those of any other related party.
III. The Subject of the Settlements:
The settlements having a dense population (forming approximately
20% of the land) shall irrevocably be annexed to Israel. They
shall be exchanged with land without the condition that such
exchange be equal in area from the regions having a geographical
interconnection and equal in the nature of the population.
Such an exchange of land, which won't necessarily be equal,
shall apply to areas (Haluq, Hawtsih) in the northern Negev.
They are unpopulated and may be annexed into the Authority's
territory in order to help expand the strip opposite the Gaza
sector that is overcrowded with residents.
Also the triangular area of Um al-Fahm is in exchange for
some densely populated settlements which shall be annexed
as Israeli territory, especially those that include clusters
close to the Green Line. This annexation shall apply to the
settlements of: Ari'il, Ma'aliyah Adhumim, Afrat, Jab'un,
Ma'aliyah Afrayim, Jaf'at Za'if, Bayt Il, Ghush 'Atsiyun,
Kiryat Arba'.
The less populous settlements (forming approximately 30%
of the land) shall remain under Israeli sovereignty throughout
the maximum limit of the test of intentions period (20 years).
After that period of time has elapsed, sovereignty over them
shall shift to the Palestinian Authority.
Their residents shall be given the right to choose between
living under Palestinian sovereignty or moving to Israel in
exchange for acceptable financial compensation. The breaking
up of any settlement during the indicated period shall be
forbidden.
The settlements in the caves and those registered in the
column of the less populous settlements shall be placed under
Israeli sovereignty during the test of intentions period.
The use of their surrounding roads by any Palestinian throughout
the maximum limit of the aforementioned period shall be forbidden.
Permission for the Palestinians to use the roads shall return
at the end of the indicated period. It shall also be forbidden
for the Palestinian Authority to adopt any unilateral measure
to prevent its demographic, population, or cultural development
after the sovereignty over them shifts to the Palestinian
Authority.
As for the remaining land under the administration of the
Israeli Defense Forces (forming 50%), land in which there
are cities where there has been a redeployment, or will be
a redeployment in the remaining areas, will immediately be
under Palestinian sovereignty as stipulated in this document.
This is in accordance with the stages set forth in the Oslo
1 and 2 agreements.
The negotiating parties used as a basis the principle of
keeping the least possible number of Palestinians in the area
that would be annexed into Israel at the end of the process
(as is explained in the map accompanying this document). Three
Arab villages adjacent to the settlements of Kfar Etzion and
Ariel will be moved.
The Jewish settlers in the settlements that will not be
annexed into Israel and for whom mandatory evacuation is not
imposed shall be able to obtain dual Israeli-Palestinian nationality
or remain as permanent foreign residents in the Palestinian
state, whichever they choose.
IV. The Subject of the Refugees:
With respect to the subject of the refugees and the emigrants,
there should be an effort to create a new international organization
to replace the current relief organization (UNRWA). This organization
would be responsible for settling the refugees and emigrants
and for ensuring their absorption into the countries and locations
in which they are currently residing.
It would also strive to advance their living and social
conditions and absorb their numbers into the daily life of
the communities surrounding the area in which they live. The
Labor Party government shall be responsible for working bilaterally
with the relevant states and international sponsoring parties
quietly in a manner so as not to create difficulties for the
Palestinian Authority.
It shall exert pressures to ensure the elimination of the
international positions conducive to the current situation.
It shall work with the host countries to ensure the slow closure
of this file after the conditions have been created to give
these people the right to be citizens where they are living.
With respect to the entry of these persons into the Palestinian
Authority's territories, the latter shall have the right to
issue temporary entry permits and necessary visitation visas
to these people for the purpose of visiting their resident
relatives.
This shall be done on the condition that these people shall
not be granted the right of citizenship within the boundaries
of the Palestinian Authority's territory. However they shall
be granted the right to limited, temporary residence which
shall be granted to visitors from foreign sponsoring countries.
(Israel shall have the right to question any case without
reservation in which it has suspicions.)
This shall be done for the purpose of not changing the demographics
of the region or upsetting its political stability. The Palestinian
side pledges absolute cooperation in this regard. The currently
valid figures given to the sponsors of the residents in the
Palestinian Authority's areas up until the date this document
is implemented shall be considered the official source of
reference for any transgression that may occur after the document
has entered the sphere of implementation.
Israel shall not have the power to set the number of those
refugees and emigrants to whom temporary residence is granted
in the territory of the Palestinian Authority. However the
Palestinian Authority must respect the element of trust that
pertains to this matter and it must comply with the indicated
right of interrogation by the Israeli government when necessary.
The Subject of Water:
Common sources of water located in the Palestinian Authority's
territory shall be used in accordance with joint coordination
between the two parties. This shall be effected through relevant
technical committees and in technical cooperation with Israel
through its qualified, technical agencies in this regard,
especially in the subsurface areas set forth in the related
appendix.
VI. The Palestinian State:
The establishment of a Palestinian state in accordance with
defined guidelines is the political solution that will firmly
implant the pillars of peace and put a close to the conflict
between the two sides. According to the joint understanding,
the Palestinians shall reserve their right to sovereignty
that shall correspond with that enjoyed by the Vatican or
the country of Costa Rica.
The Palestinian Authority shall have the right to decide
upon the format it deems appropriate from among the above
sovereignty options, or it may link itself to Jordan in a
confederation format that is agreeable to Jordan. Regardless
of which of the aforementioned options it chooses, it must
confirm that said format shall not infringe upon the above-mentioned
guidelines related to the status of the city of Jerusalem.
The demilitarized, young, Palestinian state shall reserve
the right to build a police force armed with light, personal
weapons in a number that it deems necessary for its domestic
security, similar to the case in Costa Rica.
With respect to the current Israeli Army positions on the
Jordan River, the Israel Army shall remain in those positions
throughout the maximum limit of the test of intentions period.
Israel shall not retain sovereignty over those positions after
the passage of the aforementioned period except by joint agreement
between the two parties. There may not be a declaration of
such a state until after at least three years have passed
in the test of intentions period that follows the implementation
of this agreement.
VII. General Principles:
Jordan Valley: In the area of the Jordan Valley under
Israeli control, three battalion sized military zones shall
be established along with early warning stations that shall
remain throughout the transitional period. Thereafter, authority
over the border crossing points shall be transferred into
the hands of the Palestinians in 2007 if the test of intentions
period has been maintained.
Security crossing points between the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank: Israel agrees to the establishment of a corridor
of the narrowest distance that is not subject to the law of
the state that will connect the Gaza Strip to the areas in
the West Bank. The refugees: In addition to what has been
agreed upon with regard to them, Israel shall provide financial
and other assistance in working to have them absorbed where
they are living. It is not obligated to the principle of their
right to return.
Military capacity: In confirmation of the understanding
reached on this matter, the Palestinian state shall be demilitarized
and devoid of any army forces. Israel must be aware of, and
agree to, any military forces existing therein.
End of the conflict: In confirmation of this principle,
the two parties shall resolve that, by implementation of this
agreement, the phase of the conflict shall have ended forever
and the Palestinians shall have no further demand from Israel.
1967 borders: The Palestinian side shall acknowledge that
the return to the 1967 borders is an outdated idealistic idea.
It shall also agree to drop its legal request for the evacuation
of the Jewish districts in East Jerusalem in exchange for
receiving local administration over its citizens in its Arab
outskirts.
VIII. The Network of Joint Bilateral Relations:
The joint bilateral relations shall be subject to the good
neighbor policy that specifies the necessity of cooperation
and coordination in joint bilateral issues in the areas of
security and military authority (when necessary). This shall
apply when the circumstances of the Palestinian Authority
so dictate, or when it is unable to maintain its domestic
security or perform its duties for technical or other logistical
reasons.
This principle shall also apply in the areas of drawing
up boundaries or in any other problems that may subsequently
occur. In consideration of the fact that the establishment
of a demilitarized Palestinian state shall be in accordance
with the language of the Oslo agreement, and the concepts
of internationalizing Jerusalem or repartitioning it are absolutely
not mentioned therein, maximum importance shall be attached
to the test of intentions period. Its minimum and maximum
limits shall be 2007 and 2017.
Also, objective consideration shall be given to Israel's
retention of the right of interrogation without reservation
at any time it deems necessary (until after the agreement
has gone into effect and the period of its validity has expired).
The Palestinian Authority shall assume the right to administrate
the crossing areas and border points attached to it at the
end of the test of intentions period specified in this agreement
(at its minimum limit).
Until that time, Israel shall keep surveillance equipment
hidden from view at all crossing areas and all land, sea,
and air border points. This equipment shall not be openly
conspicuous, be in direct contact, or be visible throughout
the test of intentions period.
(The following comment is provided at the end of the document:)
Comment: the two parties have agreed to suspend signature
of this document and ratification of its maps until the termination
of the final solution negotiations.
Appendices: chart of the major points of understanding.
The prominent Palestinian academician Dr. Rabhi Hulum favored
Al-Quds Al-'Arabi with the text of the basic Abu-Mazin-Beilin
document that he believes is controlling everything that is
now happening in the Palestinian arena. It is being published
for the first time and will subsequently return in a special
book about Oslo that Dr. Hulum will publish.
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