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Draft:1988 Shultz Initiative

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The 1988 Shultz Initiative was a peace intiative by United States Secretary of State George Shultz to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in early 1988. Prompted by the outbreak of the First Intifada in late 1987, the intiative proposed an international peace conference between the governments of Israel and Jordan, along with non-PLO Palestinians figures, to establish an interim autonomy agreement for the occupied Palestinian territories.

Background

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Previous American peace initiatives

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In 1978, American President Jimmy Carter mediated the singing of the Camp David Accords between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, consisting of the Egypt–Israel peace treaty and the Framework for Peace in the Middle East. The Egypt-Israel peace treaty normalised relations between the two countries, guaranteed Israeli ships free passage through the Suez Canal, demilitarised the Sinai Peninsula, and saw the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula, including the withdrawal of Israeli settlers in the Sinai. The Framework for Peace in the Middle East called for the establishment of a Palestinian autonomous authority based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 and further negotiations between Israel, Egypt, and the Kingdom of Jordan. The Framework for Peace in the Middle East, however, was negotiated without Palestinian involvement and Begin stated that "on no condition will there be a Palestinian state." The Framework was consequently rejected by the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian autonomy talks between Israel, Egypt, and Jordan made little progress.

In 1981, Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency of the United States. At first, his administration largely ignored the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, considering peace in the region to be less important than containing the Soviet Union's influence in the region, which it could do simply via strategic cooperation with Israel.[1] Following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, however, a domestic outcry against the destruction during the siege of Beirut prompted Reagan's administration to play a more active role as a peace mediator. His administration proposed the Reagan peace plan, which would establish interim Palestinian autonomy culminating in a federation with Jordan. The plan was immediately rejected by the Israeli government under Menachem Begin, who described it as "a serious danger to Israel, its security and its future."[2][3] After several months of intensive debate, the PLO's Palestinian National Council ultimately voted to reject the plan as well, demanding a fully independent Palestinian state that could then enter into a federation with Jordan as equals.[4]

Following the failure of the Reagan plan, Reagan's administration largely abandoned its efforts to mediate peace between Palestine and Israel through the mid-1980s.[5]

First Intifada

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History

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Prelude

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Proposal

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On 4 March 1988, Shultz formally sent letters to Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and King Hussein of Jordan detailing his peace proposal. Among the details were:

  • An international peace conference would be held to begin negotiations;
  • That negotations should be based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 338;
  • Palestinians would participate in the negotations as part of a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation;
  • A three-year transitional period of autonomy in the occupied territories would be implemented, during which further negotiations would be held to determine the final status.[6]

Shuttle diplomacy

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March 1988 Yitzhak Shamir state visit to the United States

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Further shuttle diplomacy

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In mid-May, Peres undertook a state visit to the United States, during which he held several meetings with Shultz.[9]

Following the Moscow Summit, Shultz returned to the Middle East in early June.

Failure

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In late-July, the Jordanian government announced that it would permanently renouce its claims over the West Bank and would recognise only the PLO as the legitimate government of the Palestinian people. Despite the Jordanian announcement, Shultz attempted to convince King Hussein to continue with his plan, but stated that the American government would be willing to start negotiating with the PLO if it took "certain steps, which are very clear and, as far as I can see, not too onerous."[10]


In early November, the 1988 United States presidential election was held. Shultz would leave his position as Secretary of State when the inomcing president, George H. W. Bush, took office in January 1989.


Reactions

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Former American Secretary of State Henry Kissinger criticised Shultz's initiative, saying that an international peace conference would be "the most dangerous forum for Israel; it is the most dangerous forum for the United States; and it can only wind up with the United States being caught between all parties and Israel being pressured in a direction that it cannot respect."[11]

Analysis

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American academic Paul Pierpaoli Jr. has argued that the initative "set the stage for important developments in the Middle Eastern peace process. By laying out the exact conditions under which the United States would engage with the PLO, the Shultz plan forced a lively internal debate among PLO factions and their leaders. The plan, in fact, had given PLO chairman Yasser Arafat the opportunity to seize the initiative and overcome hardline resistance within the organisation," leading to the November 1988 Palestinian Declaration of Independence and the start of US-PLO dialogue.[5]

Aftermath

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References

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  1. ^ Christison 1999, p. 204.
  2. ^ "TEXT OF ISRAEL'S COMMUNIQUE ON THE REAGAN PLAN". The New York Times. 3 September 1982. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  3. ^ "ISRAEL UNITED ON 'NO' - CAUTION AMONG ARAB 'MODERATES'". The Australian Jewish News. 10 September 1982. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  4. ^ Friedman, Thomas L. (22 February 1983). "P.L.O. COUNCIL SAYS REAGAN'S PROPOSAL IS NOT ACCEPTABLE". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  5. ^ a b Tucker, Spencer C. Middle East Conflicts from Ancient Egypt to the 21st Century. ABC-CLIO, 2019. Pages 1172-1173
  6. ^ Shultz, George (4 March 1988). "The Shultz Negotiations Plan". Interactive Encyclopaedia of the Palestinian Question. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  7. ^ Kempster, Norman (5 April 1988). "Shultz Presses Israeli Leaders on Peace Plan : Invites Shamir, Peres to 'Put Flesh on the Bones' of His Ideas, Says Doubts Can Be Resolved Later". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  8. ^ Sciolino, Elaine (6 April 1988). "SHULTZ INITIATIVE GETS NO SUPPORT". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Peres Arrives in Washington for Sessions with Reagan, Shultz". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 17 May 1988. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  10. ^ Pear, Robert (1 August 1988). "HUSSEIN SURRENDERS CLAIMS ON WEST BANK TO THE P.L.O.; U.S. PEACE PLAN IN JEOPARDY; Shultz Concerned". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Kissinger Blasts Peace Conference, but Says Status Quo Won't Last". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 13 May 1988. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  12. ^ Christison, Kathleen (1 November 1989). "The Arab-Israeli Policy of George Shultz". Journal of Palestine Studies. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  13. ^ Hannah, John P. (1 November 1989). "BEYOND THE SHULTZ INITIATIVE: THE NEW ADMINISTRATION AND THE PALESTINIAN PROBLEM". SAIS Review. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  14. ^ Schirmer-Nilsen, Bjørn (2021). "Successful Failure: The Intifada and the Shultz Initiative of 1988". Peace Research Institute Oslo. Retrieved 25 July 2025.