Draft declaration of principles

The representatives of the Government of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (P.L.O.), meeting at [________] under the auspices of [President George W. Bush of the United States of America and with the support of ________], and determined to bring an end to bloodshed, sorrow and decades of conflict, have agreed on the following framework for peace between the Palestinians and Israelis, which is the cornerstone for peace throughout the entire Middle East.

Israeland the PLO shall negotiate in good faith with the goal of concluding a Treaty addressing all aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the agreed framework and principles herein, within 8 months of this declaration.

Framework for negotiations:

• An enduring commitment to all principles of international law, including the right of the Palestinian people and of the Israeli people to self determination, and the end of the occupation that began in 1967 leading to the establishment of a Palestinian State;
• The implementation of all United Nations Security Council Resolutions pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including 242, 338, 1397 and 1515, and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194; and
• The Arab Peace Initiative as offered in the Beirut Arab League Resolution of March 28, 2002 and reaffirmed in the March 2007 Riyadh Arab Summit.

1) Borders:

1. Borders between Palestine and Israel shall be the 1967 Lines, subject to land swaps on a minor, equal, equitable and reciprocal basis in a manner that preserves the total size of the territory of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip as it stood on the eve of June 4, 1967, and in a manner that preserves Palestinian water rights and maximizes Palestinian territorial contiguity.
2. In addition, there shall be a permanent territorial link under Palestinian sovereignty connecting the West Bank and Gaza Strip in accordance with the principle that they constitute one territorial unit.  The link shall be of sufficient width to allow for a surface road with multiple lanes, a rail connection, and public utilities and water infrastructure.  
3. Maritime borders shall be agreed through negotiations based on principles of international law. Palestine shall enjoy its full share of maritime zones as any other coastal state under international law.
4. Palestineshall exercise full sovereignty over its territory, including its borders, within the international borders referred to above.

2) Jerusalem:

1. Palestineand Israel shall each have their capitals in Jerusalem. East Jerusalem, within the pre-occupation municipal lines, shall be the capital of Palestine, and West Jerusalem shall be the capital of Israel. The borders between the capitals shall be the international border agreed above.
2. Palestineand Israel shall form a joint committee composed of an equal number of representatives from Palestine and Israel to oversee cooperation and coordination between a Palestinian Jerusalem Municipal Authority and an Israeli Jerusalem Municipal Authority.
3. Palestineand Israel shall protect the universal, historic, religious, spiritual, and cultural character of Jerusalem and its holiness enshrined in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Moreover, the freedom of worship in the city and its holy sites and places, and the existing division of administrative functions and traditional practices among different religions and denominations shall be safeguarded.  

3) Settlements:

1. Israelshall evacuate all Israeli settlers to its side of the agreed international border within the time period to be agreed in the Treaty. The future of the settlement assets shall be determined in accordance with international law, and dismantlement and/or preservation of the assets, as the case may be, shall take place in accordance with the modalities and timetable to be agreed in the Treaty.
2. Israelshall impose an immediate, comprehensive and permanent freeze on all settlement activity (including the Wall) in all Palestinian territory occupied in 1967.  The settlement freeze shall include: an end to all (i) settlement-related construction, (ii) land confiscations, home demolitions and other property destruction, and (iii) planning, funding, and other incentives for Israeli settlements and settlers; and the immediate dismantlement of all settlement outposts established since March 2001.

4) Military Withdrawal:

Israelshall withdraw, under the supervision of an international presence, all military and security personnel, installations and other associated infrastructure to its side of the agreed international border in accordance with the modalities and timetable to be agreed in the Treaty.

5) Refugees:

a)   Israel acknowledges its moral and legal responsibility for the forced displacement and dispossession of the Palestinian civilian population as a result of the 1948 war and [recognizes the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in line with UN Resolution 194] [recognizes the historical claims of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in line with UN Resolution 194] [recognizes the international legal rights of the Palestinian refugees].

b)   The PLO and Israel commit to pursue a comprehensive, just and agreed-upon resolution to the Palestinian refugee problemas envisaged by the Arab Peace Initiative, and in accordance with the following principles:

• Refugees shall be given repatriation and resettlement options, including return to Israel, to be implemented in accordance with an agreed annual quota and within an agreed period of time, and return to Palestine, at its sole discretion. In addition, to the extent possible, refugees shall be presented with resettlement options in third countries.
• Refugees shall be granted reparations, including restitution and/or full compensation, for the material and non-material damages they have suffered, including loss of opportunities for their protracted displacement. These rights shall not prejudice or be prejudiced by the refugees’ permanent place of residence.
• States that have hosted Palestinian refugees shall be entitled to remuneration.

c)   An international mechanism shall be established to implement all aspects of the Treaty relating to refugees with the participation of Palestine, Israel and host countries and other necessary and willing countries and entities. In furtherance thereof, an international fund shall be established to finance the repatriation, resettlement and rehabilitation of the refugees, reparations and claims programs of the mechanism. Israel commits to provide substantial funding for the claims program, whereas additional countries will contribute funding to supplement Israeli contributions and to help cover the repatriation, resettlement and rehabilitation program as necessary.

6) Water:

Palestineand Israel shall exercise their rights over shared water resources in accordance with international law, especially the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of shared water resources emphasizing an equal per capita approach in determining equitable.

7)Reparations:

Palestineand Israel shall agree in the Treaty modalities and mechanisms for the application and implementation of international law with regard to the internationally wrongful acts arising from Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

8) Relations between Palestine and Israel:

a)   Palestine and Israel shall establish full diplomatic, consular, economic and security relations with each other in accordance with international law and custom, including the exchange of resident ambassadors in Jerusalem.

b)   Economic relations between Palestine and Israel shall be based on free trade and preferential treatment principles, which include the removal of all tariffs and non tariff barriers, and national and most favored nation treatment, shall ensure the free movement of agricultural and manufactured goods, services, labor and investments, and shall allow for the use of land crossings, seaports and airports of both Palestine and Israel for transit of goods to other countries.

 c)  Security relations between Palestine and Israel shall be based on mutual trust, advancement of joint interests and co-operation, and shall aim towards a regional partnership in peace. Such relations will be based on sovereign equality, reciprocity and the UN Charter, taking into consideration the security concerns of Palestine and Israel on an equal basis. The presence of third party forces at the borders of Palestine shall be agreed.

9) Final Clause:

This declaration will be considered binding on the parties, upon signature.  Neither side shall initiate or take any steps that will change the status of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip that are not contemplated herein, pending the implementation of the Treaty.  All parties will exercise their best efforts to improve the daily lives and advance the welfare of the Palestinian population pending full implementation of the Treaty.