Oslo Accord

Cultural  

1. An agreement brokered by Norway after months of secret negotiations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993. By its terms, Israel and the PLO recognized each other. The PLO renounced terrorism, and Israel agreed to withdraw its military and civil authorities from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho, granting self-rule to Palestinians in these areas and a lesser degree of self-rule to other parts of the Occupied Territories. Although the accord put off consideration of the thorny issues of Israeli settlements on the West Bank and the status of Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem), it set 1999 as a deadline for a final agreement. Subsequent negotiations to resolve these issues failed, however.

---

Discover More

Though favored by moderates in both camps, the Oslo Accord was rejected by Hamas and Syria's president Hafez al-Assad. Yitzhak Rabin, Israel's premier when the accord was reached, was assassinated by an Israeli law student in 1995.

Example Sentences

At the close of the Cold War, when the Middle East was momentarily disentangled from great-power politics, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed the 1993 Oslo Accord.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2024

At the time the Oslo Accord was signed in 1993, there were just over 110,000 Jewish settlers living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

From BBC • Sep. 12, 2023

Rogers’ “Oslo” as the Norwegian social scientist who improbably facilitated back-channel talks that led to the 1993 Oslo Accord between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization is particularly stirring in these undiplomatic times.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2017

President Bill Clinton helped broker the Oslo Accord, attempting to establish a framework to resolve the conflict.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 23, 2016

The guidance, which was last updated in 1997, applies to the 1985 trade pact with Israel and was meant in part to boost support for the fledgling Palestinian Authority created by the Oslo Accord.

From US News • Dec. 8, 2015