The Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA) was an agreement between
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and the
Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine, (PA) signed on 15 November 2005 aimed at improving
Palestinian freedom of movement and economic activity within the
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The ...
, and open the
Rafah Crossing
The Rafah Border Crossing ( ar, معبر رفح, Ma`bar Rafaḥ) or Rafah Crossing Point is the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. It is located on the Gaza–Egypt border, which was recognized by the 1979 Egypt–Israel pe ...
on the
Gaza–Egypt border. AMA was described as: ''″an agreement on facilitating the movement of people and goods within the Palestinian Territories and on opening an international crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border that will put the Palestinians in control of the entry and exit of people.″'' Part of the agreement was the ''Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing''.
Background and purposes
Following the start of the
Second Intifada
The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel ...
in September 2000, Israel considerably restricted the movement of Palestinians within the
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The ...
and between the territories and Israel and the rest of the world. At the
Sharm el-Sheikh Summit on 8 February 2005,
acting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Nati ...
pledged that all Palestinian factions would stop all acts of violence against all Israelis everywhere while
Israeli Prime Minister
The prime minister of Israel ( he, רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, Rosh HaMemshala, Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: he2, רה״מ; ar, رئيس الحكومة, ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief exe ...
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon (; ; ; also known by his diminutive Arik, , born Ariel Scheinermann, ; 26 February 1928 – 11 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006.
S ...
pledged that Israel would cease all its military activity against all Palestinians everywhere.
They both also reaffirmed their commitment to the
Roadmap for peace process. Sharon also agreed to release 900
Palestinian prisoners of the 7,500 being held by Israel at the time,
and to withdraw Israeli forces from West Bank towns that it had reoccupied during the Intifada. Many consider the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit to mark the end of the Second Intifada.
The
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
and Israeli settlers left the Gaza Strip on 1 September 2005 as part of
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan. Under the
Oslo Accords
The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; of 1993, signed by Israel and the
Palestinian Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establishing Arab unity and s ...
(PLO), the PLO agreed that Israel would retain control of all borders of the Palestinian territories. Following the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, while retaining its rights under the Oslo Accords, Israel and Egypt agreed that Egypt would assume control of the Egyptian side of the
Rafah border crossing
The Rafah Border Crossing ( ar, معبر رفح, Ma`bar Rafaḥ) or Rafah Crossing Point is the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. It is located on the Gaza–Egypt border, which was recognized by the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace ...
, the only crossing on the
Egypt–Gaza border, while the Palestinian Authority (PA) would assume control on the Gazan side of the crossing. At the time the PA was dominated by the
Fatah
Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and s ...
faction of the PLO.
To improve the living conditions of the Palestinians and further the
peace negotiations
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surr ...
, Israel and the PA concluded the AMA, the stated goal of which was ''″To promote peaceful economic development and improve the humanitarian situation on the ground″''.
[''Agreed documents by Israel and Palestinians on Movement and Access from and to Gaza'']
. "Agreement on Movement and Access" and "Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing", 15 November 2005
Content of the Agreement
The ''Agreement on Movement and Access'' provided:
* the
Rafah Crossing
The Rafah Border Crossing ( ar, معبر رفح, Ma`bar Rafaḥ) or Rafah Crossing Point is the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. It is located on the Gaza–Egypt border, which was recognized by the 1979 Egypt–Israel pe ...
between Gaza and Egypt would be opened as soon as possible under control of the PA, and under supervision of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
. Goods were also permitted transit at the
Karni crossing
The Karni Crossing ( ar, معبر كارني or معبر المنطار, he, מעבר קרני) was a cargo terminal on the Israel-Gaza Strip barrier located in the north-eastern end of the Gaza Strip and was opened in 1994 to allow Palestin ...
.
* A
''"Safe Passage"'' would be established between Gaza and the West Bank.
* The number of "obstacles to movement" in the West Bank would be reduced to the maximum extent possible to be completed by 31 December 2005.
* The construction of a
seaport in Gaza could commence.
* The parties would continue discussions on the establishment of an
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...
.
The ''Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing'' were:
* Rafah Crossing was to be operated by the Palestinian Authority on its side, and Egypt on its side.
* Only people with Palestinian ID, or foreign nationals, by exception, in certain categories, subject to Israeli oversight, were to be permitted to cross in and out. The PA should notify the Israeli authorities 48 hours in advance of the crossing of a person in the excepted categories.
* Rafah would be used for export of goods to Egypt, subject to rigid control. Imports must be cleared by PA customs officials at
Kerem Shalom under the supervision of Israeli customs agents.
[
]
Hamas takeover of the Palestinian Authority
On 25 January 2006, Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni- Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qas ...
decisively won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council
The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is the unicameral legislature of the Palestinian Authority, elected by the Palestinian residents of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It currently comprises 132 members, ...
in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election
Legislative elections were held in the Palestinian territories on 25 January 2006 in order to elect the second Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The result was a victory for Hamas, ...
,Excerpts from President Mahmoud Abbas’ Speech to the Opening of the PLC
Palestine-Israel Journal, Vol 13 No. 1, May 2006 and on 29 March, a
new PA government led by Hamas leader,
Ismail Haniya
Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh; sometimes transliterated as Haniya, Haniyah, or Hanieh (born 29 January 1962) is a senior political leader of Hamas and formerly one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority. Haniy ...
, was formed. However, Hamas leaders refused to accept conditions set by Israel and the
Quartet on the Middle East
The Quartet on the Middle East or Middle East Quartet, sometimes called the Diplomatic Quartet or Madrid Quartet or simply the Quartet, is a foursome of nations and international and supranational entities involved in mediating the Israeli� ...
for any relations by them with the Hamas-led PA government, namely recognition of Israel, the disavowal of violent actions, and acceptance of previous agreements between Israel and the PA, including the Oslo Accords. In consequence,
Israel and the Quartet ceased providing aid to the PA and stopped all dialogue with any member of the Hamas-led PA government, and imposed
sanctions against the PA under Hamas.
Hamas repeatedly declared that it did not recognise the legitimacy of Israel and was not bound by any agreements with Israel, without specifically mentioning the AMA. With these sequence of events, the AMA was taken to have no relevance to Hamas.
In June 2007, after the
Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip,
Hamas replaced all
Fatah
Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and s ...
and PA officials in the Gaza Strip with Hamas members. Fatah resumed its dominance in the West Bank. Israel lifted its sanctions and other measures against the PA and the West Bank, but the measures against the Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip continued. The Quartet also restored relations with the PA in the West Bank, but not with the Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip. Egypt largely sealed its border crossing with the Gaza Strip on the grounds that Fatah and the PA had fled and the PA was no longer providing security on the Palestinian side.
[Dion Nissenbaum]
"Olmert aide supports free Gaza"
. McClatchy Newspapers. 8 December 2008.
Implementation
AMA stipulated the opening hours of crossings between Gaza and Israel and the number of trucks/truckloads to pass through them.
[Wolfensohn, James (2010). ''A Global Life''. p. 428-429] It also stipulated that bus convoys, carrying Palestinians from Gaza to the West Bank and vice versa, would start on 15 December 2005; and truck convoys, carrying goods on the same route, would start on 15 January 2006.
[Wolfensohn, James (2010). ''A Global Life''. p. 430]
Palestinians, especially Hamas, insist that AMA still applies, and that it has not been honoured by Israel in relation to movement of people between Gaza and the West Bank, as neither bus nor truck convoys started by their respective dates.
Israel first announced that according to its interpretation, Israel was only obliged to run a "test" or "pilot" bus route and only for Palestinians meeting certain Israeli-specified requirements, then delayed this pilot project "indefinitely".
[https://www.gisha.org/UserFiles/File/publications_english/Disengagement_Danger_6feb_06.pdf ] The part of the agreement concerning opening hours and throughput of border crossings was not implemented either.
Gazans have been invariably banned from entering the West Bank, and Israel adopted the position that they have no legal right to do so. This position has not changed since 2005.
[https://www.btselem.org/download/201401_so_near_and_yet_so_far_eng.pdf ]
See also
*
Palestinian freedom of movement
References
External links
''Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing'' 18 December 2017
{{Israeli-Palestinian conflict , Diplomacy
Israeli–Palestinian peace process
Treaties of Israel
Treaties of the State of Palestine