Arab Peace Initiative

The Arab Peace Initiative ( ) is a comprehensive peace initiative first proposed in 2002 at the Beirut Summit of the Arab League by then- Crown Prince , King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia , and re-endorsed at the Riyadh Summit in 2007. The initiative attempts to end the Arab–Israeli conflict , which means normalizing relations between the entire Arab region and Israel, in exchange for a complete withdrawal from the occupied territories (including East Jerusalem ) and a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee crisis based on UN Resolution 194 (which calls for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict and resolves that any refugees "wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors" should be able to do so or, if they otherwise wish, should be provided with compensation). The Initiative was initially overshadowed by the Passover Massacre , a major terrorist attack that took place on March 27, 2002 (the day before the Initiative was published) and that had been claimed by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades , Hamas' military wing. The Arab League has since readopted the Initiative on several occasions, including during the 2007 summit . Although a number of Israeli officials have responded to the Initiative with both support and criticism, the Israeli government swiftly rejected the initiative, saying it was a "non-starter" at the time. Then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the new plan cannot be accepted because it would replace UN resolutions 242 and 338, which call for negotiations. In 2007, Benjamin Netanyahu , as opposition leader, as well as a number of Likud members, rejected the initiative outright. In 2009, President Shimon Peres expressed satisfaction at the "u-turn" in the attitudes of Arab states toward peace with Israel as reflected in the Saudi initiative, though he did qualify his comments by saying: "Israel wasn't a partner to the wording of this initiative. Therefore it doesn't have to agree to every word." The Palestinian Authority strongly supports the plan and Mahmoud Abbas officially asked U.S. President Barack Obama to adopt it as part of his Middle East policy. Islamist political party Hamas , the elected government of the Gaza Strip , is deeply divided, with most factions rejecting the plan. More recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed tentative support for the initiative, saying he accepts the "general idea" with significant caveats, specifically its calls for Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights and accept the relocation of millions of Palestinian refugees into Israel. George Mitchell , then the United States special envoy to the Middle East, announced in March 2009 that President Barack Obama 's administration intends to "incorporate" the initiative into its Middle East policy. Time to Test the Arab Peace Offer . June 1, 2006. name=Times of Israel> "Netanyahu backs 'general idea' behind Arab Peace Initiative" .

The initiative calls for normalizing relations between the Arab region and Israel, in exchange for a full withdrawal by Israel from the occupied territories (including East Jerusalem ) and a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee problem based on UN Resolution 194 . The Initiative was initially overshadowed by the Passover Massacre , a major terrorist attack that took place on March 27, 2002, the day before the Initiative was published. The Israeli government under Ariel Sharon rejected the initiative as a "non-starter". Sharon said the new plan could not be accepted because it would replace UN resolutions 242 and 338 , which called for bilateral negotiations. After the renewed Arab League endorsement in 2007, then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave a cautious welcome to the plan. In 2009, President Shimon Peres expressed satisfaction at the "u-turn" in the attitudes of Arab states toward peace with Israel as reflected in the Saudi initiative, though he did qualify his comments by saying: "Israel wasn't a partner to the wording of this initiative. Therefore it doesn't have to agree to every word." More recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed tentative support for the initiative, saying he accepts the "general idea" with significant caveats , specifically its calls for Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights and accept the relocation of millions of Palestinian refugees into Israel. The Palestinian Authority led by Yasser Arafat immediately embraced the initiative. His successor Mahmoud Abbas also supported the plan and officially asked U.S. President Barack Obama to adopt it as part of his Middle East policy. Islamist political party Hamas , the elected government of the Gaza Strip , is deeply divided, with most factions rejecting the plan. Time to Test the Arab Peace Offer . March 30, 2007. name=Times of Israel> "Netanyahu backs 'general idea' behind Arab Peace Initiative" .

Proposal from the 2002 Beirut Arab League Summit Not to be confused with Arab League Monitors in Syria . The initiative offers normalisation of relations by the Arab world with Israel, in return for a full withdrawal by Israel from the occupied territories (including the West Bank , Gaza , the Golan Heights , and Lebanon ), a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee problem based on UN Resolution 194 , and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Initiative was initially overshadowed by the Passover massacre , a major Palestinian attack that took place on 27 March 2002, the day before the Initiative was published. The Palestinian Authority led by Yasser Arafat immediately embraced the initiative. His successor Mahmoud Abbas also supported the plan and officially asked U.S. President Barack Obama to adopt it as part of his Middle East policy. Islamist political party Hamas , the elected government of the Gaza Strip , was deeply divided, with most factions rejecting the plan. The Israeli government under Ariel Sharon rejected the initiative as a "non-starter" because it required Israel to withdraw to pre-June 1967 borders. In 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed tentative support for the Initiative, but in 2018, he rejected it as a basis for future negotiations with the Palestinians. Time to Test the Arab Peace Offer .

Proposal from the 2002 Beirut Arab League Summit Not to be confused with Arab League Monitors in Syria . The initiative offers normalisation of relations by the Arab world with Israel, in return for a full withdrawal by Israel from the occupied territories (including the West Bank , Gaza , the Golan Heights , and Lebanon ), with the possibility of comparable and mutual agreed minor swaps of the land between Israel and Palestine, a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee problem based on UN Resolution 194 , and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. A Palestinian attack called the Passover massacre took place on 27 March 2002, the day before the Initiative was published, which initially overshadowed it. The Palestinian Authority led by Yasser Arafat immediately embraced the initiative. His successor Mahmoud Abbas also supported the plan and officially asked U.S. President Barack Obama to adopt it as part of his Middle East policy. Initial reports indicate that Islamist political party Hamas , the elected government of the Gaza Strip , was deeply divided, while later reports indicate that Hamas accepted the peace initiative. The Israeli government under Ariel Sharon rejected the initiative as a "non-starter" because it required Israel to withdraw to pre-June 1967 borders. In 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed tentative support for the Initiative, but in 2018, he rejected it as a basis for future negotiations with the Palestinians. Time to Test the Arab Peace Offer . The New York Times . Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza . Hamas voiced support for the Arab League's Beirut Declaration of March 2002, in which all Arab states including Palestine offered Israel permanent peace and normal diplomatic and economic relations in re-turn for Israel's compliance with international law by returning to its internationally recognized pre-1967 borders.