The Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum on
Implementation Timeline of Outstanding Commitments of
Agreements Signed and the Resumption of Permanent Status
Negotiations
The Government of
the State of Israel ("GOI") and the Palestine
Liberation Organization ("PLO") commit
themselves to full and mutual implementation of the
Interim Agreement and all other agreements concluded
between them since September 1993 (hereinafter "the
prior agreements"), and all outstanding commitments
emanating from the prior agreements. Without derogating
from the other requirements of the prior agreements, the
two Sides have agreed as follows:
1. Permanent Status
negotiations:
- In the context
of the implementation of the prior agreements,
the two Sides will resume the Permanent Status
negotiations in an accelerated manner and will
make a determined effort to achieve their mutual
goal of reaching a Permanent Status Agreement
based on the agreed agenda i.e. the specific
issues reserved for Permanent Status negotiators
and other issues of common interest.
- The two Sides
reaffirm their understanding that the
negotiations on the Permanent Status will lead to
the implementation of Security Council
Resolutions 242 and 338;
- The two Sides
will make a determined effort to conclude a
Framework Agreement on all Permanent Status
issues in five months from the resumption of the
Permanent Status negotiations;
- The two Sides
will conclude a comprehensive agreement on all
Permanent Status issues within one year from the
resumption of the Permanent Status negotiations;
- Permanent
Status negotiations will resume after the
implementation of the first stage of release of
prisoners and the second stage of the First and
Second Further Redeployments and not later than
September 13, 1999. In the Wye River Memorandum,
the United States has expressed its willingness
to facilitate these negotiations.
2. Phase One and
Phase Two of the Further Redeployments
The Israeli Side
undertakes the following with regard to Phase One and
Phase Two of the Further Redeployments:
- On September
5, 1999, to transfer 7% from Area C to Area B;
- On November
15, 1999, to transfer 2% from Area B to Area A
and 3% from Area C to Area B;
- On January 20,
2000, to transfer 1% from Area C to Area A, and
5.1% from Area B to Area A.
3. Release of
Prisoners
- The two Sides
shall establish a joint committee that shall
follow-up on matters related to release of
Palestinian prisoners.
- The Government
of Israel shall release Palestinian and other
prisoners who committed their offences prior to
September 13, 1993, and were arrested prior to
May 4, 1994. The Joint Committee shall agree on
the names of those who will be released in the
first two stages. Those lists shall be
recommended to the relevant Authorities through
the Monitoring and Steering Committee;
- The first
stage of release of prisoners shall be carried
out on September 5, 1999 and shall consist of 200
prisoners. The second stage of release of
prisoners shall be carried out on October 8, 1999
and shall consist of 150 prisoners;
- The joint
committee shall recommend further lists of names
to be released to the relevant Authorities
through the Monitoring and Steering Committee;
- The Israeli
side will aim to release Palestinian prisoners
before next Ramadan.
4. Committees
- The Third
Further Redeployment Committee shall commence its
activities not later than September 13, 1999;
- The Monitoring
and Steering Committee, all Interim Committees
(i.e. CAC, JEC, JSC, legal committee, people to
people), as well as Wye River Memorandum
committees shall resume and/or continue their
activity, as the case may be, not later than
September 13, 1999. The Monitoring and Steering
Committee will have on its agenda, inter alia,
the Year 2000, Donor/PA projects in Area C, and
the issue of industrial estates;
- The Continuing
Committee on displaced persons shall resume its
activity on October 1, 1999 (Article XXVII,
Interim Agreement);
- Not later than
October 30, 1999, the two Sides will implement
the recommendations of the Ad-hoc Economic
Committee (article III-6, WRM).
5. Safe Passage
- The operation
of the Southern Route of the Safe Passage for the
movement of persons, vehicles, and goods will
start on October 1, 1999 (Annex I, Article X,
Interim Agreement) in accordance with the details
of operation, which will be provided for in the
Safe Passage Protocol that will be concluded by
the two Sides not later than September 30, 1999;
- The two Sides
will agree on the specific location of the
crossing point of the Northern Route of the Safe
Passage as specified in Annex I, Article X,
provision c-4, in the Interim Agreement not later
than October 5, 1999;
- The Safe
Passage Protocol applied to the Southern Route of
the Safe Passage shall apply to the Northern
Route of the Safe Passage with relevant agreed
modifications;
- Upon the
agreement on the location of the crossing point
of the Northern Route of the Safe Passage,
construction of the needed facilities and related
procedures shall commence and shall be ongoing.
At the same time, temporary facilities will be
established for the operation of the Northern
Route not later than four months from the
agreement on the specific location of the
crossing-point;
- In between the
operation of the Southern crossing point of the
Safe Passage and the Northern crossing point of
the Safe Passage, Israel will facilitate
arrangements for the movement between the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip, using non-Safe Passage
routes other than the Southern Route of the Safe
Passage;
- The location
of the crossing points shall be without prejudice
to the Permanent Status negotiations (Annex I,
Article X, provision e, Interim Agreement).
6. Gaza Sea Port
The two Sides have
agreed on the following principles to facilitate and
enable the construction works of the Gaza Sea Port. The
principles shall not prejudice or preempt the outcome of
negotiations on the Permanent Status:
- The Israeli
Side agrees that the Palestinian Side shall
commence construction works in and related to the
Gaza Sea Port on October 1, 1999;
- The two Sides
agree that the Gaza Sea Port will not be operated
in any way before reaching a joint Sea Port
protocol on all aspects of operating the Port,
including security;
- The Gaza Sea
Port is a special case, like the Gaza Airport,
being situated in an area under the
responsibility of the Palestinian Side and
serving as an international passage. Therefore,
with the conclusion of a joint Sea Port Protocol,
all activities and arrangements relating to the
construction of the Port shall be in accordance
with the provisions of the Interim Agreement,
especially those relating to international
passages, as adapted in the Gaza Airport
Protocol;
- The
construction shall ensure adequate provision for
effective security and customs inspection of
people and goods, as well as the establishment of
a designated checking area in the Port;
- In this
context, the Israeli side will facilitate on an
on-going basis the works related to the
construction of the Gaza Sea Port, including the
movement in and out of the Port of vessels,
equipment, resources, and material required for
the construction of the Port;
- The two Sides
will coordinate such works, including the designs
and movement, through a joint mechanism.
7. Hebron Issues
- The Shuhada
Road in Hebron shall be opened for the movement
of Palestinian vehicles in two phases. The first
phase has been carried out, and the second shall
be carried out not later than October 30, 1999;
- The wholesale
market-Hasbahe will be opened not later than
November 1, 1999, in accordance with arrangements
which will be agreed upon by the two Sides;
- A high level
Joint Liaison Committee will convene not later
than September 13, 1999 to review the situation
in the Tomb of the Patriarchs / Al Haram Al
Ibrahimi (Annex I, Article VII, Interim Agreement
and as per the January 15, 1998 US Minute of
Discussion).
8. Security
- The two Sides
will, in accordance with the prior agreements,
act to ensure the immediate, efficient and
effective handling of any incident involving a
threat or act of terrorism, violence or
incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or
Israelis. To this end, they will cooperate in the
exchange of information and coordinate policies
and activities. Each side shall immediately and
effectively respond to the occurrence or
anticipated occurrence of an act of terrorism,
violence or incitement and shall take all
necessary measures to prevent such an occurrence;
- Pursuant to
the prior agreements, the Palestinian side
undertakes to implement its responsibilities for
security, security cooperation, on-going
obligations and other issues emanating from the
prior agreements, including, in particular, the
following obligations emanating from the Wye
River Memorandum:
- continuation
of the program for the collection of the
illegal weapons, including reports;
- apprehension
of suspects, including reports;
- forwarding
of the list of Palestinian policemen to
the Israeli Side not later than September
13, 1999;
- beginning
of the review of the list by the
Monitoring and Steering Committee not
later than October 15, 1999.
9. The two Sides
call upon the international donor community to enhance
its commitment and financial support to the Palestinian
economic development and the Israeli-Palestinian peace
process.
10. Recognizing the
necessity to create a positive environment for the
negotiations, neither side shall initiate or take any
step that will change the status of the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip in accordance with the Interim Agreement.
11. Obligations
pertaining to dates, which occur on holidays or
Saturdays, shall be carried out on the first subsequent
working day.
This memorandum
will enter into force one week from the date of its
signature.1
Made and signed in
Sharm el-Sheikh, this fourth day of September 1999.
For the Government
of the State of Israel
For the PLO
Witnessed by
For the Arab Republic of Egypt
For the United States of America
For the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
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