Twenty Years since the Oslo Accords: Lessons for Israel

September 13, 1993 marks twenty years since the signing of the Oslo Accords. The agreement encouraged great expectations in Israel and around the world that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians would end and that a “new Middle East” would be established, with peace between Israel and the Arab states. However, the interim agreement was not completed, there was no permanent settlement, and the Oslo process collapsed in the face of the al-Aqsa intifada. This article analyzes Israel’s conduct in the Oslo process under the Rabin and Peres governments from a strategic-administrative perspective, suggests several key shortcomings on Israel’s part, and proposes relevant lessons for the future.