Yumna Patel
Mondoweiss / October 4, 2023
Palestinians reflect on the past 30 years since the first Oslo Accords were signed and all the ways in which the agreement impacted their lives, pushing them even further away from achieving liberation and statehood.
On September 13, 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Negotiator Mahmoud Abbas signed the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, more commonly known as the first Oslo Accords. Following the signing of the agreement, Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands in front of an elated U.S. President Bill Clinton, creating one of the most well-known photo ops of the past century.
VIDEO : The Oslo Accords: Failure or Betrayal? – Mondoweiss
But behind the photo op, a much more sinister picture was playing out on the ground. On paper, the Oslo Accords were meant to kick off a five-year “peace process” and culminate with an end to the so-called “Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” In reality, the accords led to more division, fragmentation, and loss for the Palestinians while giving Israel even more control over the people, land, and resources.
In this report, Mondoweiss sat down with former PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi, Yara Hawari of Palestinian think tank Al-Shabaka, young activists in Ramallah and Nablus, and resistance fighters in Jenin. From the initial mistakes and flaws made within the agreements, to the disastrous effects on Palestine’s youth, the Palestinians we spoke to reflect on the past 30 years since the first Oslo Accords were signed and all the ways in which the agreement impacted their lives, pushing them even further away from achieving liberation and statehood.
Yumna Patel is the Palestine News Director for Mondoweiss
