A Framework for Peace in the Middle East Agreed at Camp David
September 10, 1978
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat, President of the Arab Republic of
Egypt, and Menachim Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, met with
Jimmy Carter, President of the United States of America, at
Camp David from September 5 to--, 1978, and have agreed on the
following framework for peace in the Middle East. They invite
other parties to the Arab-Israeli conflict to adhere to it.
Preamble
The search for peace in the Middle East must be guided by the
following:
- After four wars during thirty years, despite intensive human
efforts, the Middle East, which is the cradle of civilization
and the birthplace of three great religions, does not yet
enjoy the blessings of peace. The people of the Middle East
yearn for peace so that the vast human and natural resources
of the region can be turned to the pursuits of peace and so
that this area can become a model for coexistence and
cooperation among nations.
- The historic initiative of President Sadat in visiting
Jerusalem and the reciprocal visit of Prime Minister Begin to
Ismailia, the constructive peace proposals made by both
leaders, as well as the warm reception of these missions by
the peoples of both countries, have created an unprecedented
opportunity for peace which must not be lost if this
generation and future generations are to be spared the
tragedies of war.
- The provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the
other accepted norms of international law and legitimacy now
provide accepted standards for the conduct of relations among
all states.
- The only agreed basis for a peaceful settlement of the Arab-
Israeli conflict is United Nations Security Council Resolution
242, supplemented by Resolution 338. Resolution 242 in its
preamble emphasizes the obligation of Member States in the
United Nations to act in accordance with Article 2 of the
Charter. Article 2, among other points, calls for the
settlement of disputes by peaceful means and for Members to
refrain from the threat or use of force. Egypt and Israel in
their agreement signed September 4, 1975, agreed:
"The Parties hereby undertake not to resort to the threat or
use of force or military blockade against each other." They
have both also stated that there shall be no more war between
them. In a relationship of peace, in the spirit of Article 2,
negotiations between Israel and any neighbor prepared to
negotiate peace and security with it should be based on all
the provisions and principles of Resolution 242, including the
inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war and the
need to work for a just and lasting peace in which every state
in the area can live in security within secure and recognized
borders. Negotiations based on these principles are necessary
with respect to all fronts of the conflict--the Sinai, the
Golan Heights, the West Bank and Gaza, and Lebanon.
- Peace is more than the juridical end of the state of
belligerency. It should encompass the full range of normal
relations between nations. Progress toward that goal can
accelerate movement toward a new era of reconciliation in the
Middle East marked by cooperation in promoting economic
development, in maintaining stability, and in assuring
security.
- Security is enhanced by a relationship of peace and by
cooperation between nations which enjoy normal relations. In
addition, under the terms of peace treaties, the sovereign
parties can agree to special security arrangements such as
demilitarized zones, limited armaments areas, early warning
stations, special security forces, liaison, agreed measures
for monitoring, and other arrangements that they agree are
useful.
Agreement
Taking these factors into account, Egypt and Israel are
determined to reach a just, comprehensive, and durable
settlement of the Middle East conflict through the conclusion
of peace treaties on the basis of the full implementation of
Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 in all their parts.
Their purpose is to achieve peace and good neighborly
relations. They recognize that, for peace to endure, it must
involve all those who have been principal parties to the Arab-
Israeli conflict; it must provide security; and it must give
the peoples who have been most deeply affected by the
conflict, including the Palestinians, a sense that they have
been dealt with fairly in the peace agreement. They therefore
agree that this Framework as appropriate is intended by them
to constitute a basis for peace not only between Egypt and
Israel, but also between Israel and each of its other
neighbors which is prepared to negotiate peace with Israel on
this basis. With that objective in mind, they have agreed to
proceed as follows:
- Egypt-Israel
- Egypt and Israel undertake not to resort to the threat or
the use of force to settle disputes. Any disputes shall be
settled by peaceful means in accordance with the provisions of
Article 33 of the Charter of the United Nations. In the event
of disputes arising from the application or interpretation of
their contractual agreements, the two parties will seek to
reach a settlement by direct negotiations. Failing agreement,
the parties accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the
International Court of Justice with respect to all disputes
emanating from the application or the interpretation of their
contractual arrangements.
- In order to achieve peace between them, they have agreed
to negotiate without interruption with a goal of concluding
within three months from the signing of this Framework a peace
treaty between them, while inviting the other parties to the
conflict to proceed simultaneously to negotiate and conclude
similar peace treaties with a view to achieving a
comprehensive peace in the area. Israel has agreed to the
restoration of the exercise of full Egyptian sovereignty in
the Sinai up to the internationally recognized border between
Egypt and Israel, and Egypt has agreed to establish full peace
and normal relations with Israel. Security arrangements, the
timing of withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the Sinai, and
the elements of a normal, peaceful relationship between them
have been discussed and will be defined in the peace treaty.
- Egypt and Israel agree that freedom of passage through the
Suez Canal, the Strait of Tiran, and the Gulf of Suez should
be assured for ships of all flags, including Israel.
- West Bank and Gaza
- Egypt and Israel will participate in negotiatinos on
resolution of the Palestinian problem in all its aspects. The
solution must recognize the legitimate rights of the
Palestinian people and enable the Palestinians to participate
in the determination of their own future.
- To this end, negotiations relating to the West Bank and
Gaza should provide for links between these areas and Jordan
and should proceed in three stages:
- Egypt and Israel hereby agree that the following should be
the main elements of a settlement in the West Bank and Gaza:
In order to ensure a peaceful and orderly transfer of
authority, there should be transitional arrangements for the
West Bank and Gaza for a period not exceeding five years. In
order to provide full autonomy to the inhabitants, under these
arrangements the Israeli military government and
administration will be abolished and withdrawn as soon as a
self-governing authority can be freely elected by the
inhabitants of these areas to replace the existing military
government. This transitional arrangement should derive its
authority for self-government from Egypt and Israel, and
Jordan, when Jordan joins the negotiations. To negotiate the
details of a transitional arrangement, the Government of
Jordan will be invited to join the negotiations on the basis
of this Framework. These new arrangements should give due
consideration both to the principle of self-government by the
inhabitants of these territories and to the legitimate
security concerns of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and the
inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza.
- Egypt, Israel, and Jordan will determine the modalities
for establishing the elected self-governing authority in the
West Bank and Gaza. The delegations may include Palestinians
from the West Bank and Gaza. The parties will negotiate an
agreement which will define the powers and responsibilities of
the self-governing authority. The agreement will provide for
the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces and the redeployment of
some of them to limited and specified security points. It
will also include arrangements for assuring internal and
external security and public order, including the respective
roles of Israeli armed forces and local police.
- When the self-governing authority in the West Bank and
Gaza is inaugurated, the transitional period will begin.
Within three years after the beginning of the transitional
period, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the self-governing authority
in the West Bank and Gaza will undertake negotiations for a
peace treaty which will settle the final status of the West
Bank and Gaza after the transitional period and its
relationship with its neighbors on the basis of all of the
principles of UN Security Council Resolution 242, including
the mutual obligations of peace, the necessity for security
arrangements for all parties concerned following the
transitional period, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, a just
settlement of the refugee problem, and the establishment of
secure and recognized boundaries. The boundaries and security
arrangements must both satisfy the aspirations of the
Palestinians and meet Israel's security needs. They may
incorporate agreed minor modifications in the temporary
armistice lines which existed between 1949 and 1967. The
peace treaty will define the rights of the citizens of each of
the parties to do business, to work, to live, and to carry on
other transactions in each other's territory on a reciprocal
basis.
- All necessary measures will be taken and provisions made
to assure Israel's security during the transitional period and
beyond. To assist in providing security during and beyond the
transitional period:
- Egypt and Israel propose that Jordan and Egypt assign
personnel to the police forces of the self-governing authority
in the West Bank and Gaza, respectively. They will also
maintain continuing liaison on internal security matters with
the designated Israeli authorities to ensure that no hostile
threats or acts against Israel or its citizens originate from
the West Bank or Gaza. The numbers, equipment, and
responsibilities of such Egyptian and Jordanian personnel will
be defined by the agreement. By mutual agreement, United
Nations forces or observers may also be introduced during the
transitional period.
- The nature of the Israeli security presence during the
transitional period and beyond will be agreed in the
negotiations described in paragraphs B2(b) and (c) above.
- During the transitional period, the negotiating parties
(Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the self-governing authority) will
constitute a continuing committee to reach mutual agreements
applicable during that period on:
- issues involving interpretation of the agreement or issues
unforeseen during the negotiation of the agreement, if not
resolvable by the self-governing authority;
- the return of agreed numbers of persons displaced from the
West Bank in 1967 and of Palestinian refugees together with
necessary measures in connection with their return to prevent
disruption and disorder.
- Jerusalem, the city of peace, shall not be divided. It is
a city holy to Jew, Muslim, and Christian and all peoples must
have free access to it and enjoy the free exercise of worship
and the right to visit and transit to the holy places without
distinction or discrimination. The holy places of each faith
will be under the administration of their representatives.
For peace to endure, each community in Jerusalem must be able
to express freely its cultural and religious values in an
acceptable political framework. A representative municipal
council shall supervise essential functions in the city. An
agreement on relationships in Jerusalem should be reached in
the negotiations dealing with the final status of the West
Bank and Gaza.
- Egypt and Israel agree to work with each other and with
other interested parties to achieve a just and permanent
solution of the problems of Palestinian and Jewish refugees.
- If Jordan is unable to join these negotiations, Egypt,
Israel, and the inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza will
proceed to establish and administer the self-governing
authority.
- Settlements
(Language to be inserted)
- Associated Principles
- Egypt and Israel believe that the principles and
provisions described below should apply to peace treaties on
all fronts.
- Synchronized with the implementation of the provisions
related to withdrawal, signatories shall proceed to establish
among themselves relationships normal to states at peace with
one another. To this end, they should undertake to abide by
all the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
Steps to be taken in this respect include:
- full recognition, including diplomatic, economic and
cultural relations;
- abolishing economic boycotts and barriers to the free
movement of goods and people;
- guaranteeing that under their jurisdiction the citizens of
the other parties shall enjoy the protection of the due
process of law.
- Signatories should agree to provide for the security and
respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and
inviolability and the political independence of each state
negotiating peace through measures such as the following:
- the establishment of demilitarized zones;
- the establishment of limited armament zones;
- the stationing of United Nations forces or observer groups
as agreed;
- the stationing of early warning systems on the basis of
reciprocity;
- regulating the size of their armed forces and the types of
their armament and weapons systems.
- Signatories should explore possibilities for regional
economic development in the context of both traditional
arrangements and final peace treaties, with the objective of
contributing to the atmosphere of peace, cooperation and
friendship which is their common goal.
- Claims Commissions may be established for the mutual
settlement of all financial claims.
- The United States shall be invited to participate in the
talks on matters related to the modalities of the
implementation of the agreements and working out the timetable
for the carrying out of the obligations of the parties.
- The United Nations Security Council shall be requested to
endorse the peace treaties and ensure that their provisions
shall not be violated. The permanent members of the Security
Council shall be requested to underwrite the peace treaties
and ensure respect for their provisions. They shall also be
requested to conform their policies and actions with the
undertakings contained in this Framework.