May 4, 1994
The Agreement on the Gaza Strip and Jericho Area, the first such agreement that grants Palestinians a measure of autonomy, is signed in a ceremony in Cairo. The agreement states that Israel will withdraw its military forces from the Gaza Strip and Jericho area in accordance with Article XIII of the Declaration of Principles. The withdrawal is to be completed within three weeks of signing the agreement.
The ceremony is briefly interrupted when a disagreement arises between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat over maps that show the withdrawal will be from a smaller Jericho area than Arafat had wanted. A compromise is reached in which Arafat adds a letter expressing that the two parties continue to discuss the size of the Jericho area, the positioning of a Palestinian official at the Allenby Bridge, additional arrangements in the Rafah passage in Gaza and all outstanding issues specified in the agreement.
The Gaza Strip-Jericho Agreement is a follow-up to the September 1993 Oslo Accords, puts the implementation of those accords into process, and reaffirms the desire for the Israelis and Palestinians to live in peaceful coexistence, dignity and security, while recognizing their mutual legitimate and political rights. The agreement asserts an ongoing attempt to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement through diplomacy.
The agreement calls for the creation of a Palestinian Authority as an interim self-government once the transfer of authority in those areas has been completed. The PA is created three weeks later with Arafat as its president. Those living in Israeli settlements remain subject to Israeli law, and Israeli vehicles are barred from entering the areas outlined without a special permit.
