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Unlock This CourseBy 1991 both sides had reasons to talk. The first Intifada had shown Israelis that holding the West Bank and Gaza by force was costly and could not stop the protests. It had also shown the world the Palestinians' cause. Two big events then changed the situation.
The first was the Gulf War of 1991. Arafat, the leader of the PLO (the Palestine Liberation Organisation), backed Saddam Hussein of Iraq, who had invaded Kuwait. Saddam's side lost. Wealthy Gulf states that had paid money to the PLO cut off their support, and many Palestinians who worked in Kuwait lost their jobs. The PLO, based far away in Tunis, was weak and short of money.
The second was the end of the Cold War. The Soviet Union, the great backer of Arab states such as Syria, broke up in December 1991. The USA was now the only superpower, and its Arab allies had fought alongside it in the Gulf War.
In October 1991 the USA and the Soviet Union opened a peace conference in Madrid. Israel, Arab states and Palestinians all attended, but the Palestinians had to join as part of a Jordanian team, and little was agreed. The real breakthrough came in secret.
Key terms:
The PLO was isolated, poor and far from the Palestinians it claimed to lead. Hamas, an Islamist group founded in the Intifada, was gaining support. Arafat wanted to bring the PLO back to Palestinian land and keep control of the Palestinian cause. A deal would give him a base in Gaza and the West Bank.
Yitzhak Rabin, who had been defence minister in the Intifada, became prime minister after the election of June 1992. He had learned that force alone would not end the uprising. He also feared the growth of Islamist groups such as Hamas, and he thought it was better to deal with the PLO than with them.
After the Gulf War the USA wanted to show leadership in the region and keep it stable, because it was a friend of Israel and of Arab oil states. It had started the Madrid talks. But it did not arrange the Oslo deal. That was made in secret, with Norwegian help.
In January 1993 Israeli and PLO officials began meeting in secret near Oslo, the capital of Norway. Norwegians hosted them. At first the Israelis were academics, because Israeli law then banned contact with the PLO. Once Rabin's government saw progress, senior officials took over, with the foreign minister Shimon Peres overseeing the talks. By August the two sides had agreed a text.
The agreement had two parts, both signed in September 1993.
At the ceremony President Clinton stood between Rabin and Arafat as they shook hands. Rabin said, "Enough of blood and tears. Enough."
What changed: for the first time Israel and the PLO accepted each other and talked directly. The PLO went from exile in Tunis to governing part of Palestinian land.
What stayed the same: the biggest disputes of the conflict, the land, Jerusalem and the refugees, were still unsolved, and the Israeli army still held much of the West Bank.
Explain TWO causes of the Oslo Peace Accords of 1993. [8 marks]
Remember: one cause on its own can score no more than half marks, so you must give two.
One cause was the weakness of the PLO after the Gulf War. In 1991 Arafat had backed Saddam Hussein, and the Gulf states that had funded the PLO cut off their money. The PLO was isolated in Tunis and was losing support to Hamas. This led Arafat to see that a deal with Israel was the best way to return to Palestinian land and to keep leadership of the Palestinians, so he agreed to recognise Israel.
A second cause was that Israel's attitude changed. The first Intifada, which began in 1987, showed that the army could not end the uprising by force, and Rabin, who had been defence minister, became prime minister in June 1992. He also feared Islamist groups such as Hamas. This led him to approve secret talks with the PLO, which led to the recognition of the PLO and the Declaration of Principles in 1993.
This is a top answer because each cause is backed by specific facts and shows how it led to the Accords.
For each cause, finish with a sentence that begins "This led to..." so you show how it produced the outcome.