The redeployment of the Israeli Military Forces in Hebron will be
carried out in accordance with the Interim Agreement and this
Protocol. This redeployment will be completed not later than 10
days from the signing of this Protocol.
2. Security Powers and Responsibilities
a. (1) The Palestinian Police will assume responsibilities in Area
H-1 similar to those in other cities in the West bank; and
(2) Israel will retain all powers and responsibilities for internal
security and public order in Area H-2. In addition, Israel will
continue to carry the responsibility for overall security of
Israelis.
3. Agreed Security Arrangements
a. With a view to ensuring mutual security and stability in the
City of Hebron, special security arrangements will apply adjacent
to the areas under the security responsibility of Israel.
b. The purpose of the above-mentioned checkpoints will be to enable
the Palestinian Police, exercising their responsibilities under the
Interim Agreement, to prevent entry of armed persons and
demonstrators or other people threatening security and public
order, into the above-mentioned area.
4. Joint Security Measures
a. The OCO (District Command Officer) will establish a sub-office
in the City of Hebron.
b. JMU (Joint Mobile Units) will operate in Area H-2 to handle
incidents that involve Palestinians only. The OCO will coordinate
the JMU movement and activity.
c. As part of the security arrangements in the area adjacent to the
areas under the security responsibility of Israel, as defined
above, Joint Mobile Units will be operating in this area, with
special focus on the following places:
(1) Abu Sneinah
(2) Harat A-Sheikh
(3) Shaoaba
(4) The highground overlooking new Route No. 35.
d. Two Joint Patrols will function in Area H-1:
(1) a Joint Patrol which will operate on the road from Ras E-Jura
to the north of the Dura junction via E-Salaam Road; and
(2) a Joint Patrol which will operate on existing Route No. 35,
including the eastern part of existing Route No. 35.
e. The Palestinian and Israeli side of the JMUs in the City of
Hebron will be armed with equivalent types of weapons
(Mini-Ingraham submachine guns for the Palestinian side and short
M-16s for the Israeli side).
f. With a view to dealing with the special security situation in
the City of Hebron, a Joint Coordination Center (hereinafter the
"JCC"), headed by senior officers of both sides, will be
established in the OCO at Har Manoah/Jabal Manoah. The purpose of
the JCC will be to coordinate the joint security measures in the
City of Hebron.
In this context, each side will notify the JCC of demonstrations
and actions taken in respect of such demonstrations, and of any
security activity, close to the areas under the responsibility of
the other side, including in the area defined in Article 3(a)
above.
5. The Palestinian Police
a. Palestinian Police stations or posts will be established in Area
H-1, manned by a total of up to 400 policemen, equipped with 20
vehicles and armed with 200 pistols, and 100 rifles for the
protection of the police stations.
b. Four designated Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) will be established
and stationed in Area H-1, one in each of the police stations. The
main task of the RRTs will be to handle special security cases.
Each RRT shall be comprised of up to 16 members.
c. The above-mentioned rifles will be designated for the exclusive
use of the RRTs, to handle special cases.
d. (1) The Palestinian Police shall operate freely in Area
H-l.
(2) Activities of the RRTs armed with rifles in the Agreed Adjacent
Area, as defined in Appendix 2, shall require the agreement of the
JCe.
(3) The RRTs will use the rifles in the rest of Area H-1 to fulfill
their above-mentioned tasks.
e. The Palestinian Police will ensure that all Palestinian
policemen, prior to their deployment in the City of Hebron, will
pass a security check in order to verify their suitability for
service, taking into account the sensitivity of the area.
6. Holy Sites
a. Paragraphs 2 and 3(a) of Article 32 of Appendix I to Annex III
of the Interim Agreement will be applicable to the following Holy
Sites in Area H-I:
(1) The Cave of Othniel Ben Knaz / El-Khalil;
(2) Elonei Mamre / Haram Er-Rameh;
(3) Eshel Avraham / Balutat Ibrahim; and
(4) Maoayan Sarah / Ein Sarah
b. The Palestinian Police will be responsible for the protection of
the above Jewish Holy Sites. Without derogating from the above
responsibility of the Palestinian Police, visits to the above Holy
Sites by worshipers or other visitors shall be accompanied by a
Joint Mobile Unit, which will ensure free, unimpeded and secure
access to the Holy Sites.
7. Normalization of Life in the Old City
a. Both sides reiterate their commitment to maintain normal life
throughout the City of Hebron and to prevent any provocation or
friction that may affect the normal life in the city.
(1) The wholesale market - Hisbah - will be opened as a retail
market in which goods will be sold directly to consumers from
within the existing shops.
(2) The movement of vehicles on the Shuhada Road will be gradually
returned, within four months, to the same situation which existed
prior to February 1994.
8. The Imara
The Imara will be turned over to the Palestinian side upon the
completion of the redeployment and will become the headquarters of
the Palestinian Police in the City of Hebron.
9. City of Hebron
Both sides reiterate their commitment to the unity of the City of
Hebron, and their understanding that the division of security
responsibility will not divide the city. In this context, and
without derogating from the security powers and responsibilities of
either side, both sides share the mutual goal that movement of
people, goods and vehicles within and in and out of the city will
be smooth and normal, without obstacles or barriers.
11. Planning, Zoning and Building
a. The two parties are equally committed to preserve and protect
the historic character of the city in a way which does not harm or
change that character in any part of the city.
b. The Palestinian side has informed the Israeli side that in
exercising its powers and responsibilities, taking into account the
existing municipal regulations, it has undertaken to implement the
following provisions:
(1) Proposed construction of buildings above two floors will be
coordinated through the OCL.
(2) Proposed construction of buildings above three floors will be
coordinated through the OCL.
13. Transportation
The Palestinian side shall have the power to determine bus stops,
traffic arrangements, and traffic signalization in the City of
Hebron. Traffic signalization, traffic arrangements and the
location of bus stops in Area H-2 will remain as they are on the
date of the redeployment. in Hebron. Any subsequent change in these
arrangements in Area H-2 will be done in cooperation between the
two sides in the transportation sub-committee.
14. Municipal Inspectors
Plainclothes unarmed municipal inspectors will operate in Area H-2.
The number of these inspectors shall not exceed 50.
15. Location of Offices of the Palestinian Council
The Palestinian side, when operating new offices in Area H-2, will
take into consideration the need to avoid provocation and friction.
Where establishing such offices might affect public order or
security, the two sides will cooperate to find a suitable
solution.
16. Municipal Services
In accordance with paragraph 5 of Article VII of Annex I of the
Interim Agreement, municipal services shall be provided regularly
and continuously to all parts of the city of Hebron, at the same
quality and cost. The cost shall be determined by the Palestinian
side with respect to work done and materials consumed, without
discrimination.
17. Temporary International Presence
There will be a Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH).
Both sides will agree on the modalities of the TIPH, including the
number of its members and its area of operation.
These extracts were selected by the editors of the Journal and at
their responsibility.
Note for the Record
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority
Chairman Yasser Arafat met on January IS, 1997, in the presence of
US Special Middle East Coordinator Dennis Ross. They requested him
to prepare this Note for the Record to summarize what they agreed
upon at their meeting. The document reads as follows:
Mutual Undertakings
The two leaders agreed that the Oslo peace process must move
forward to succeed. Both parties to the Interim Agreement have
concerns and obligations. Accordingly, the two leaders reaffirmed
their commitment to implement the Interim Agreement on the basis of
reciprocity and, in this context, conveyed the following
undertakings to each other:
Israeli Responsibilities
The Israeli side reaffirms its commitments to the following
measures and principles in accordance with the Interim
Agreement:
Issues for Implementation:
1. Further Redeployment Phases
The first phase of further redeployments will be carried out during
the first week of March.
2. Prisoner Release Issues
Prisoner release issues will be dealt with in accordance with the
Interim Agreement's provisions and procedures, including Annex
VII.
Issues for Negotiation:
3. Outstanding Interim Agreement Issues
Negotiations on the following outstanding issues from the Interim
Agreement will be immediately resumed. Negotiations on these issues
will be conducted in parallel:
a) Safe passage
b) Gaza airport
c) Gaza port
d) Passages
e) Economic, financial, civilian and security issues
f) People-to-people
4. Permanent Status Negotiations
Permanent status negotiations will be resumed within two months
after implementation of the Hebron Protocol.
Palestinian Responsibilities
The Palestinian side reaffirms its commitments to the following
measures and principles in accordance with the Interim
Agreement:
1. Complete the process of revising the Palestinian National
Charter.
2. Fighting terror and preventing violence
a) Strengthening security cooperation
b) Preventing incitement and hostile propaganda, as specified in
Article XXII of the Interim Agreement
c) Combat systematically and effectively terrorist organizations
and infrastructure
d) Apprehension, prosecution and punishment of terrorists
e) Requests for transfer of suspects and defendants will be acted
upon in accordance with Article II (7)(f) of Annex IV to the
Interim Agreement.
f) Confiscation of illegal firearms
3. Size of Palestinian Police will be pursuant to the Interim
Agreement.
4. Exercise of Palestinian governmental activity, and location of
Palestinian governmental offices, will be as specified in the
Interim Agreement.
The aforementioned commitments will be dealt with immediately and
in parallel.
Other Issues
Either party is free to raise other issues not specified above
related to implementation of the Interim Agreement and obligations
of both sides arising from the Interim Agreement.
Prepared by Ambassador Dennis Ross at the request of Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu and Ra'ees Yasser Arafat.
