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Reflections: 1993 to 2013

Why is there still no final-status agreement, and what lessons does Oslo hold for the conflict's resolution?
AFP/Getty Images

Background

Oslo explained

In 1993, Israeli and Palestinian leaders signed an agreement to resolve their conflict peacefully. Why did it fail?

Topics:
Israel
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Palestine

Israeli settlements: A photo history

The illegal settlements have fueled tensions for more than four decades

Topics:
Israel
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Palestine

Analysis

Analysis: Israelis not ready for two-state solution

Israelis are 'in love' with the idea of a peace deal but unwilling to make compromises

Topics:
Israel
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Diplomacy

Analysis: Palestinians see peace process as ‘doomed experiment’

A return to talks is a smokescreen for Israel€’s expansion of settlements, Palestinians say

Topics:
International
Middle East
Palestine

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West Bank and Gaza divided | The price of Oslo | Banking on West Bank prosperity

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Can Kerry Finish What Oslo Started?

New Israeli-Palestinian talks began this summer under a cloud of skepticism

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Israel
John Kerry
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Oslo's 20-year legacy of failure lives on

Analysis: An agreement to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has instead established a new format of occupation

Topics:
Israel
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Palestine

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<b>Palestine, 1948.</b> Refugees return to their village after surrendering in the war against Israel. The conflict forced 85 percent of the Palestinian population living in what became Israel to leave their homes. Their right to return was written into a U.N. resolution that year, but 65 years later this issue has yet to be resolved.
Palestine, 1948. Refugees return to their village after surrendering in the war against Israel. The conflict forced 85 percent of the Palestinian population living in what became Israel to leave their homes. Their right to return was written into a U.N. resolution that year, but 65 years later this issue has yet to be resolved. AFP/Getty Images
<b>Jordan, 1955.</b> Refugees form a line for food at a camp in Amman. In the aftermath of the 1948 war, many Palestinian refugees relocated to neighboring countries -- Syria, Jordan and Lebanon -- as well as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Jordan, 1955. Refugees form a line for food at a camp in Amman. In the aftermath of the 1948 war, many Palestinian refugees relocated to neighboring countries -- Syria, Jordan and Lebanon -- as well as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Three Lions/Getty Images
<b>Syria, 1967.</b> A camp administered by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for homeless Palestinian Arab refugees near Damascus.
Syria, 1967. A camp administered by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for homeless Palestinian Arab refugees near Damascus. Hulton/Getty Images
<b>Gaza, 1967.</b> Israeli soldiers interrogate Palestinians in Jabalia refugee camp. The Six Day War created more displacement, leading to the formation of more refugee camps.
Gaza, 1967. Israeli soldiers interrogate Palestinians in Jabalia refugee camp. The Six Day War created more displacement, leading to the formation of more refugee camps. Terrence Spencer/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
<b>Lebanon, 1982.</b> Families return to the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila after a massacre carried out by Christian militiamen left hundreds dead. The killing took place while the Israeli army was stationed around the camps.
Lebanon, 1982. Families return to the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila after a massacre carried out by Christian militiamen left hundreds dead. The killing took place while the Israeli army was stationed around the camps. Alain Mingam/Gamma/Getty Images
<b>Lebanon, 1986.</b> Fighting tied to the Lebanese Civil War in and around the Shatila camp destroyed many homes.
Lebanon, 1986. Fighting tied to the Lebanese Civil War in and around the Shatila camp destroyed many homes. Kamel Lamaa/AFP/Getty Images
<b>Ramallah, 1988.</b> Children throw stones at Israeli soldiers in the Amari refugee camp. After they had been stuck in limbo for close to four decades, Palestinians’ anger erupted in open protests in the late 1980s, a movement commonly referred to as the First Intifada.
Ramallah, 1988. Children throw stones at Israeli soldiers in the Amari refugee camp. After they had been stuck in limbo for close to four decades, Palestinians’ anger erupted in open protests in the late 1980s, a movement commonly referred to as the First Intifada. Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images
<b>Ramallah, 1988.</b> A Palestinian mother and elder sister try to stop an Israeli soldier from taking away a Palestinian boy arrested for rock throwing. The First Intifada ended in 1993, when the Oslo peace accords were signed.
Ramallah, 1988. A Palestinian mother and elder sister try to stop an Israeli soldier from taking away a Palestinian boy arrested for rock throwing. The First Intifada ended in 1993, when the Oslo peace accords were signed. Esaias Baitel/AFP/Getty Images
<b>West Bank, 1990.</b> Masked Palestinians demonstrate in Tulkarm in the West Bank. The intifada and Israel’s reaction against it led to the Palestinians’ further radicalization.
West Bank, 1990. Masked Palestinians demonstrate in Tulkarm in the West Bank. The intifada and Israel’s reaction against it led to the Palestinians’ further radicalization. James Lukoski/Getty Images
<b>West Bank, 1993.</b> Palestinians hand in numbered tickets for emergency ration cards from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. A 1993 U.N. report noted that overpopulation, unemployment and scarcity of water contributed to the worsening economic plight of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
West Bank, 1993. Palestinians hand in numbered tickets for emergency ration cards from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. A 1993 U.N. report noted that overpopulation, unemployment and scarcity of water contributed to the worsening economic plight of Palestinians in the occupied territories. Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images
<b>West Bank, 2001.</b> A 67-year-old Palestinian man in the Dehaishe refugee camp displays the original key and title deeds to the home his family abandoned when they fled their village in the 1948 war in Israel. For many Palestinians, the keys remain a potent symbol of their exile status.
West Bank, 2001. A 67-year-old Palestinian man in the Dehaishe refugee camp displays the original key and title deeds to the home his family abandoned when they fled their village in the 1948 war in Israel. For many Palestinians, the keys remain a potent symbol of their exile status. David Silverman/Newsmakers/Getty Images
<b>Gaza, 2002.</b> Palestinian boys climb a fence for a better view of a protest against Israel. As tensions increased, Israel introduced stricter security measures, like fences and border walls, thereby isolating the Palestinians even more.
Gaza, 2002. Palestinian boys climb a fence for a better view of a protest against Israel. As tensions increased, Israel introduced stricter security measures, like fences and border walls, thereby isolating the Palestinians even more. Abid Katib/Getty Images
<b>Lebanon, 2012.</b> Palestinian boys from the Syrian refugee camp of Yarmuk peer through the entrance of their temporary home at the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut. Many Palestinians who had lived as refugees in Syria have been forced to relocate once again as the civil war in that country has intensified.
Lebanon, 2012. Palestinian boys from the Syrian refugee camp of Yarmuk peer through the entrance of their temporary home at the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut. Many Palestinians who had lived as refugees in Syria have been forced to relocate once again as the civil war in that country has intensified. Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images
Oslo marked a breakthrough in mutual acknowledgement by Israelis and Palestinians of the national identity of the other. It recentered the Palestinian story from a refugee population and military assets scattered across a diffuse diaspora to the putative state of Palestine.

-- Aaron David Miller

The main lesson is that the peace process was used as political cover for a process that was the opposite of peace. And the same mistake is being repeated now.

-- Moustafa Barghouti

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