The Letters of Mutual Recognition were exchanged between

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and the

Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinians, Palestinian people in both the occupied Pale ...

on 9 September 1993. In their correspondence, Israeli prime minister

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; , ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the prime minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–1977, and from 1992 until Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, his ass ...

and Palestinian political leader

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

agreed to begin cooperating towards a peaceful solution to the

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...

. The PLO recognized Israel's right to exist in peace, renounced Palestinian militancy and terrorism, and accepted UNSC Resolution 242 and UNSC Resolution 338. Israel recognized the PLO as a legitimate authority representing the

Palestinian people Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous ...

and agreed to commence comprehensive negotiations for the

Israeli–Palestinian peace process Intermittent discussions are held by various parties and proposals put forward in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict through a peace process. Since the 1970s, there has been a parallel effort made to find terms upon which ...

. These initial agreements between Rabin and Arafat laid the groundwork for the

Oslo I Accord The Oslo I Accord or Oslo I, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or short Declaration of Principles (DOP), was an attempt in 1993 to set up a framework that would lead to the resolution of th ...

on 13 September 1993, effectively serving as its preamble.

Correspondence

There were a total of three letters exchanged, with one letter from Palestinian political leader

to Norwegian foreign minister Johan Jørgen Holst. The correspondences are shown below:

PLO to Israel: letter from Yasser Arafat to Yitzhak Rabin

:September 9, 1993 :

Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel (, Hebrew abbreviations, Hebrew abbreviation: ; , ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief executive of the Israel, State of Israel. Israel is a parliamentary republic with a President of Isra ...

:
:Mr. Prime Minister, :
:The signing of the Declaration of Principles marks a new era in the history of the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. In firm conviction thereof, I would like to confirm the following PLO commitments: :
:The PLO recognizes the right of the

State of Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

to exist in peace and security. :The PLO accepts United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. :The PLO commits itself to the Middle East peace process, and to a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the two sides and declares that all outstanding issues relating to permanent status will be resolved through negotiations. :
:The PLO considers that the signing of the Declaration of Principles constitutes a historic event, inaugurating a new epoch of peaceful coexistence, free from violence and all other acts which endanger peace and stability. Accordingly, the PLO renounces the use of terrorism and other acts of violence and will assume responsibility over all PLO elements and personnel in order to assure their compliance, prevent violations and discipline violators. :
:In view of the promise of a new era and the signing of the Declaration of Principles and based on Palestinian acceptance of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, the PLO affirms that those articles of the Palestinian Covenant which deny

Israel's right to exist The legitimacy of the State of Israel has been challenged since before the state was formed. There has been opposition to Zionism, the movement to establish a Jewish state in Palestine, since its emergence in 19th-century Europe. Since the ...

, and the provisions of the Covenant which are inconsistent with the commitments of this letter are now inoperative and no longer valid. Consequently, the PLO undertakes to submit to the

Palestinian National Council The Palestinian National Council (PNC; ) is the legislative body - in Arabic, the ''Majlis'' - of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PNC is intended to serve as the parliament that represents all Palestinians inside and outside th ...

for formal approval the necessary changes in regard to the Palestinian Covenant. :
:Sincerely, :
:

:Chairman :The

PLO to Norway: letter from Yasser Arafat to Johan Jørgen Holst

:September 9, 1993 :His Excellency : Johan Jørgen Holst : Foreign Minister of Norway :
:Dear Minister Holst, :
:I would like to confirm to you that, upon the signing of the Declaration of Principles, the PLO encourages and calls upon the

in the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

and

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

to take part in the steps leading to the normalization of life, rejecting violence and terrorism, contributing to peace and stability and participating actively in shaping reconstruction, economic development and cooperation. :
:Sincerely, :
:Yasser Arafat :Chairman :The

Israel to PLO: letter from Yitzhak Rabin to Yasser Arafat

:September 9, 1993 :

:Chairman :The

. :
:Mr. Chairman, :
:In response to your letter of September 9, 1993, I wish to confirm to you that, in light of the PLO commitments included in your letter, the

Government of Israel The Cabinet of Israel (; ) is the cabinet which exercises Executive (government), executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of Minister (government), ministers who are chosen and led by the Prime Minister of Israel, prime ministe ...

has decided to recognize the PLO as the representative of the

and commence negotiations with the PLO within the Middle East peace process. :
:Sincerely, :
:

Documents of the Oslo Accords

Additional cooperative documents signed between Israel and the PLO in light of the

Oslo Accords The Oslo Accords are a pair of interim agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995. They marked the st ...

: *''

Protocol on Economic Relations The Protocol on Economic Relations, also called the Paris Protocol, was an agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, signed on 29 April 1994, and incorporated with minor amendments into the Oslo II Accord of September 19 ...

'' (29 April 1994) *'' Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area'' (4 May 1994) *'' 1994 Washington Declaration'' (25 July 1994) *'' Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities Between Israel and the PLO'' (29 August 1994) *'' Protocol on Further Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities'' (27 August 1995) *'' Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron'' (17 January 1997) *'' Wye River Memorandum'' (23 October 1998) *'' Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum'' (4 September 1999) *''

Taba Summit The Taba Summit (also known as Taba Talks, Taba Conference or shortened to Taba) were talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, held from 21 to 27 January 2001 in Taba, Egypt. The talks took place during a political transition period � ...

'' (27 January 2001)

References

External links

Full texts of Israel-PLO recognition letters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Israel - Palestine Liberation Organization letters of recognition Israeli–Palestinian peace process History of the Palestine Liberation Organization 1993 in Israel 1993 in Palestine 1993 in international relations 1993 documents Documents of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict First Intifada