The Government of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation
Organization commit themselves to full and mutual implementation of
the Interim Agreement and all other agreements concluded between
them since September 1993 (hereinafter "the prior agreements"), and
all outstanding commitments emanating from the prior agreements.
Without derogating from the other requirements of the prior
agreements, the two sides have agreed as follows:
1. Permanent Status Negotiations
a. In the context of the implementation of the prior agreements,
the two Sides will resume the Permanent Status negotiations in an
accelerated manner and will make a determined effort to achieve
their mutual goal of reaching a Permanent Status Agreement based on
the agreed agenda, i.e., the specific issues reserved for Permanent
Status negotiations and other issues of common interest;
b. The two Sides reaffirm their understanding that the negotiations
on the Permanent Status will lead to the implementation of [United
Nations] Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338;
c. The two Sides will make a determined effort to conclude a
Framework Agreement on all Permanent Status issues [with]in five
months from the resumption of the Permanent Status
negotiations;
d. The two Sides will conclude a comprehensive agreement on all
Permanent Status issues within one year from the resumption of the
Permanent Status negotiations;
e. Permanent Status negotiations will resume after the
implementation of the first stage of the First and Second Further
Redeployments and not later than September 13, 1999. In the Wye
River Memorandum, the United States has expressed its willingness
to facilitate these negotiations.
2. Phase One and Phase Two of the Further
Redeployments
The Israeli Side undertake[s] the following with regard to Phase
One and Phase Two of the Further Redeployments:
a. On September 5, 1999, to transfer 7 percent from Area C to Area
B;
b. On November 15, 1999, to transfer 2 percent from Area B to Area
A and 3 percent from Area C to Area B;
c. On January 20, 2000, to transfer 1 percent from Area C to Area
A, and 5.1 percent from Area B to Area A.
3. Release of Prisoners
a. The two Sides shall establish a joint committee that shall
follow up on matters related to the release of Palestinian
prisoners;
b. The Government of Israel shall release Palestinian and other
prisoners who committed their offenses prior to September 13, 1993,
and were arrested prior to May 4, 1994. The Joint Committee shall
agree on the names of those who will be released in the first two
stages. Those lists shall be recommended to the relevant
Authorities through the Monitoring and Steering Committee;
c. The first stage of release of prisoners shall be carried out on
September 5, 1999, and shall consist of 200 prisoners. The second
stage of release of prisoners shall be carried out on October 8,
1999, and shall consist of 150 prisoners;
d. The Joint Committee shall recommend further lists of names to be
released to the relevant Authorities through the Monitoring and
Steering Committee;
e. The Israeli side will aim to release Palestinian prisoners
before next Ramadan.
4. Committees
a. The Third Further Redeployment Committee shall commence its
activities not later than September 13, 1999;
b. The Monitoring and Steering Committee (i.e., CAC, JBC, JSC,
legal committee, people to people), as well as Wye River Memorandum
committees shall resume and/or continue their activity, as the case
may be, not later than September 13, 1999. The Monitoring and
Steering Committee will have on its agenda, inter alia, the Year
2000, Donor/PA projects in Area C and the issue of industrial
estates;
c. The Continuing Committee on displaced persons shall resume its
activity on October 1, 1999 (Article XXVII, Interim
Agreement);
d. Not later that October 30, 1999, the two Sides will implement
the recommendations of the Ad-hoc Economic Committee (Article II-6,
WRM).
5. Safe Passage
a. The operation of the Southern Route of the Safe Passage for the
movement of persons, vehicles, and goods will start on October 1,
1999 (Annex 1, Article X, Interim Agreement) in accordance with the
details of operation which will be provided for in the Safe Passage
Protocol that will be concluded by the two Sides not later than
September 30, 1999;
b. The two Sides will agree on the specific location of the
crossing point of the Northern Route of the Safe Passage as
specified in Annex 1, Article X, provision c-4, in the Interim
Agreement not later than October 5, 1999;
c. The Safe Passage Protocol applied to the Southern Route of the
Safe Passage shall apply to the Northern Route of the Safe Passage
with relevant agreed modifications;
d. Upon the agreement on the location of the crossing point of the
Safe Passage, construction of the needed facilities and related
procedures shall commence and shall be ongoing. At the same time,
temporary facilities will be established for the operation of the
Northern Route not later than four months from the agreement on the
specific location of the crossing point;
e. In between the operation of the Southern crossing point of the
Safe Passage and the Northern crossing point of the Safe Passage,
Israel will facilitate arrangements for movement between the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip, using non-Safe Passage routes other than
the Southern Route of the Safe Passage;
f. The location of the crossing points shall be without prejudice
to the Permanent Status negotiations (Annex 1, Article X, provision
c, Interim Agreement).
6. Gaza Sea Port
The two Sides have agreed on the following principles to facilitate
and enable the construction works of the Gaza Sea Port. The
principles shall not prejudice or preempt the outcome of
negotiations on the Permanent Status;
a. The Israeli Side agrees that the Palestinian Side shall commence
construction works in and related to the Gaza Sea Port on October
1, 1999;
b. The two Sides agree that the Gaza Sea Port will not be operated
in any way before reaching a joint Sea Port Protocol on all aspects
of operation of the Port, including security;
c. The Gaza Sea Port is a special case, like the Gaza Airport,
being situated in an area under the responsibility of the
Palestinian Side and serving as an international passage.
Therefore, until the construction of a joint Sea Port Protocol, all
activities and arrangements relating to the construction of the
Port shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Interim
Agreement, especially those relating to International passages, as
adapted in the Gaza Airport Protocol;
d. The construction shall ensure adequate provision for effective
security and customs inspection of people and goods, as well as the
establishment of a designated checking area in the Port;
e. In this context, the Israeli Side will facilitate on an ongoing
basis the works related to the construction of the Gaza Sea Port,
including the movement in and out of the Port of vessels,
equipment, resources, and material required for the construction of
the Port;
f. The two Sides will coordinate such works, including the designs
and movement, through a joint mechanism.
7. Hebron Issues
a. The Shuhada Road in Hebron shall be opened for the movement of
Palestinian vehicles in two phases. The first phase has been
carried out, and the second phase shall be carried out not later
than October 30, 1999;
b. The wholesale market-Hisbeh will be opened not later than
November 1, 1999, in accordance with the arrangements which will be
agreed upon by the two Sides;
c. A high-level Joint Liaison Committee will convene not later than
September 13, 1999, to review the situation in the Tomb of the
Patriarchs/Al Haram Al Ibrahimi (Annex 1, Article II, Interim
Agreement and as per the January 15, 1998 U.S. Minute
Discussion).
8. Security
a. The two Sides will, in accordance with the prior agreements, act
to ensure the immediate, efficient and effective handling of any
incident involving a threat or act of terrorism, violence or
incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis. To this
end, they will cooperate in the exchange of information and
coordinate policies and activities. Each Side shall immediately and
effectively respond to the occurrence or anticipated occurrence of
an act of terrorism, violence or incitement and shall take all
necessary measures to prevent such an occurrence;
b. Pursuant to the prior agreements, the Palestinian Side
undertakes to implement its responsibilities for security, security
cooperation, ongoing obligations and other issues emanating from
the prior agreements, including, in particular, the following
obligations emanating from the Wye River Memorandum:
i) continuation of the program for the collection of the illegal
weapons, including reports;
ii) apprehension of suspects, including reports;
iii) forwarding the list of Palestinian policemen to the Israeli
Side not later than September 13, 1999;
iv) beginning of the review of the list by the Monitoring and
Steering Committee not later than October 15, 1999.
9. The two Sides call upon the international donor community
to enhance its commitment and financial support to the Palestinian
economic development and the Israeli-Palestinian peace
process.
10. Recognizing the necessity to create a positive
environment for the negotiations, neither side shall initiate or
take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip in accordance with the Interim Agreement.
11. Obligations pertaining to dates, which occur on holidays
or Saturdays, shall be carried out on the first subsequent working
day.
This Memorandum will enter into force one week from the date of its
signature.