The Oslo Accords

After years at war, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) sought out a change of pace. In January 1993, the Israelis and the Palestinians opened secret negotiations on neutral ground in Oslo, Norway. 

In September of 1993, a series of peace agreements called the Oslo Accords were signed by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat. However, within eight months, terror reigned down on Israel once again.

A new agreement called Oslo Two was signed in an attempt to re-establish peace. Many Israelis and Palestinians were hopeful about the new agreement, yet the haunting events that followed still impact the Israeli-Palestinian peace process today.

Big Ideas

1. The story of Israel and the Palestinians’ path to peace is a complex and divisive one.
2. Despite the hope that the Oslo Accords brought, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unresolved.
3. The Oslo Accords taught that courageous leadership still requires consensus from the population.

Essential Questions

1. What was the legacy of the Oslo Accords on Israeli and Palestinian societies?
2. What factors led to the Oslo Accords, and how did this agreement change the relationship between Israel and the PLO?
3. Why have subsequent attempts at peace failed, and what are the major obstacles to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?