US President Bill Clinton stands between PLO leader Yasser Arafat (R) and Israeli PM Yitzahk Rabin as they shake hands for the first time after signing the Oslo Accords. AFP
US President Bill Clinton stands between PLO leader Yasser Arafat (R) and Israeli PM Yitzahk Rabin as they shake hands for the first time after signing the Oslo Accords. AFP

1993 - The Oslo Accords and the broken promises of peace

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Updated 19 April 2025
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1993 - The Oslo Accords and the broken promises of peace

1993 - The Oslo Accords and the broken promises of peace
  • The interim agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization aimed to establish a framework for peaceful coexistence but were derailed by extremist violence

CHICAGO: As a Palestinian, I grew up in the shadow of the pain and suffering of the Arab-Israeli conflict. 

Israeli violence during the 1947 and 1948 war forced my father’s family to flee their homes in West Jerusalem and live for more than two years in the squalor of a refugee camp in Jordan, until my father could bring them to the US in 1951. 

My mother and her family in Bethlehem were forced to suffer through constant Israeli military assaults after the war, even though they lived under Jordanian control. They were uncertain whether they could survive, so eventually they fled to the welcoming arms and sanctuary of the diaspora, settling in Colombia and Venezuela. 

But they lost so much. To this day, more than 10 acres of my family land, on my mother’s side, adjacent to the Israel settlement of Gilo, remains under Israeli control and outside our reach, simply because we are Christian Palestinians and not Jews. 

This cumulative weight of suffering was lifted from me as I sat and watched my hero, Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, shake the hand of our oppressor, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, during the signing of the Oslo Accords peace agreement at the White House on Sept. 13, 1993. 

Rabin was a monster to Palestinians. In January 1988, as a general, he ordered his soldiers to “break the bones” of Palestinian civilians identified as “inciters” during protests against Israeli policies. Rabin was never charged over this but his lower-ranking officers faced a public outcry that was covered up by the Israeli government and the pro-Israel news media. 

How we wrote it




Arab News marked the Oslo Accords signing with a 3-page special, prematurely declaring “Pact heralds dawn of peace in Mideast.”

Yet we were willing to set all of that aside for an Israeli who was willing, for the first time, to recognize Palestinians as a people; a people that had been denied recognition by all of his predecessors, including Golda Meir, a Milwaukee schoolteacher who became an immigrant prime minister and once cruelly declared that the Palestinians “did not exist.” 

On Sept. 13, 1993, we set aside the pain of the past and hoped to move forward thanks to a new beginning on “a great occasion of history and hope,” as President Bill Clinton declared at the beginning of the momentous event. 

I remember grabbing a chunk of grass from the White House lawn in front of the stage as a souvenir and placing it between the pages of the program that was distributed to Palestinian and Israeli guests at the signing. We all sat near each other, in different groups and sections, Jews and Arabs, and greeted the start of the ceremony with relief. 

The peace documents were actually signed by Israel’s foreign minister, Shimon Peres, and the PLO’s Mahmoud Abbas, with Rabin, Arafat and Clinton looking on. 

Then, with Rabin to his right and Arafat to his left, Clinton nudged the two leaders together and they shook hands. 

The Oslo Peace Accords included recognition of certain rights on both sides. The Palestinians openly recognized Israel’s “right to exist,” considered a major concession at the time, while Israel recognized only that Palestinians would be granted a process leading to limited self-rule. Israel did not agree to recognize Palestinian statehood under the accords, instead committing only to a vaguely defined system of Palestinian self-government in the occupied territories, and to withdrawing its armed forces from much, but not all, of the West Bank. 

It was to be the foundation for a promise of a process that would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state within five years. But this was never written down or documented. It was only interpreted. 

Key Dates

  • 1

    At the Madrid Peace Conference, US Secretary of State James Baker invites Israeli officials to meet representatives of several Arab countries to pursue peace and establish self-rule for Palestinians. Israel objects to direct talks with the PLO. Palestinians from the occupied West Bank partner with Jordanian delegation to explore peace prospects.

    Timeline Image Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 1991

  • 2

    Yitzhak Rabin is elected prime minister, vowing to make progress in peace negotiations and the establishment of Palestinian self-rule. He enters into secret, direct talks with the PLO in Norway.

    Timeline Image July 13, 1992

  • 3

    US President Bill Clinton hosts the signing ceremony of the Oslo Accords. Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat sign the Declaration of Principles, marking a historic step towards peace in the Middle East. The agreement recognizes the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people, with the PLO renouncing terrorism and recognizing Israel’s right to exist.

    Timeline Image Sept. 13, 1993

  • 4

    US-born Benjamin “Baruch” Goldstein, wearing an Israeli military uniform and carrying an automatic weapon, enters Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and massacres 29 Muslims as they pray, wounding 125.

  • 5

    On Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day, a Hamas suicide bomber kills eight Israelis and injures 55 others.

  • 6

    The Nobel Committee awards Nobel Peace Prize to Arafat, Rabin and Israel’s foreign minister, Shimon Peres for the Oslo Accords.

    Timeline Image Oct. 14, 1994

  • 7

    Progress with Palestinians opens door to a peace agreement between Israel and Jordan, signed during a ceremony in the Arava Valley, north of Eilat in Israel and close to the Jordanian border.

  • 8

    Rabin shot by an Israeli extremist and dies the following morning. Rabin’s family claim killer supported right-wing extremist politics of Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu.

    Timeline Image Nov. 4, 1995

And yet, even as limited as it was, the agreement was an overwhelming relief to many, including my family. My wife is Jewish, and we subsequently traveled through Israel and Palestine, in 1994 and 1995. Although the agreement did not spell out the granting of true freedom, it did create an atmosphere of hope. Palestinians and Israelis, for the first time, got the chance to know each other as potential friends, not enemies. 

But the hopes for peace promised by the Oslo Accords were quickly cut short, in a large part because of the violence committed by Israeli fanatics, which provoked Palestinian outrage and sparked counterviolence. 

After shaking Arafat’s hand, Rabin declared: “We who have fought against you, the Palestinians, we say to you today, in a loud and a clear voice, enough of blood and tears. Enough!” 

He should have directed his words toward his own people, too. On Feb. 25, 1994, just five months after the signing of the Oslo Accords, an American-Israeli doctor, wearing an Israeli military uniform and carrying an automatic weapon, entered the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. He massacred 29 Muslims as they prayed, and wounded 125. 

This massacre, carried out by Benjamin “Baruch” Goldstein, a far-right ultra-Zionist who was overpowered and killed by survivors, prompted a retaliatory wave of suicide bombings by Hamas militants opposed to the peace process. 

They began with an attack at a bus stop in Afula on April 6, 1994, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day, in which eight Israelis were killed and 55 injured. It was considered the first suicide attack, although there had been three others, one during the Intifada, on July 6, 1989, the others in April and October 1993. 

On Nov. 4, 1995, a 27-year-old disciple of Benjamin Netanyahu, Yigal Amir, a far-right Israeli religious extremist, assassinated Rabin, shooting him in the arm and back following a peace rally. 

Amir confessed that he killed the Israeli leader because Rabin wanted “to give our country to the Arabs.” Rabin’s widow blamed Netanyahu and Israeli extremists for influencing Amir’s actions. 

And so the peace quickly unraveled. Israeli and Palestinian extremists, both of whom opposed any form of compromise, escalated their violence. Eventually, Ariel Sharon and Netanyahu took control in Israel and quickly peeled back the Oslo promises. 




Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres (C) signs the historic Israel-PLO Oslo Accords on Palestinian autonomy in the occupied territories on September 13, 1993 in a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C. AFP

But I will never forget one memory from the time before the hopes were dashed. I was driving with my wife through the Jordan Valley in the summer of 1995 when we arrived at an Israeli checkpoint. The soldiers there handed us a flower and were curious about the idea that a Palestinian and a Jew would marry. 

“You’re the future,” one soldier said to us with a smile. 

It was one of the last smiles I would see on the face of an Israeli soldier.

  • Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter. He is a columnist for Arab News and hosts the Ray Hanania Radio Show. 


UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar sustain non-oil growth in April: S&P Global

UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar sustain non-oil growth in April: S&P Global
Updated 2 min 48 sec ago
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UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar sustain non-oil growth in April: S&P Global

UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar sustain non-oil growth in April: S&P Global

RIYADH: The non-oil private sectors of the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar continued their expansion in April, supported by strong demand, improving output, and stable employment conditions, according to the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index surveys released by S&P Global.

In the UAE, the headline PMI held steady at 54 for a second consecutive month, reflecting continued momentum in the country’s non-oil economy. While output growth eased to a seven-month low, firms ramped up hiring at the fastest rate in nearly a year to manage capacity pressures. New orders surged, underpinned by the strongest international demand in five months.

This robust performance aligns with a wider regional trend of economic diversification, as Gulf nations—including Saudi Arabia—work to reduce their long-standing reliance on oil revenues.

“The April PMI results signaled a notable uptick in hiring activity across the non-oil private sector,” said David Owen, senior economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

“After several months of mild increases in payroll numbers, despite robust sales growth, job creation rose to its highest level in 11 months.”

Owen noted that the hiring push was largely aimed at easing backlogs, which, while still rising, did so at the slowest pace in six months. “That said, employment growth was still modest overall, adding to suggestions that some firms may be struggling to recruit,” he added.

Any PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion in the non-oil private sector, while a figure below 50 denotes contraction.

Business confidence in the UAE climbed to its highest level so far in 2025, as firms cited strong demand pipelines and positive expectations. Input purchases rose again in April, though at a slower pace than March, which had marked a 68-month high.

“Firms are hopeful that elevated demand levels and strong pipelines, as characterized by steeply rising backlogs, should propel activity higher in the coming months,” Owen said.

Despite increased purchasing and faster supplier delivery times, stock levels remained largely unchanged for the second consecutive month. Business optimism also rose for the third straight month in April.

In Dubai, operating conditions in the non-oil private sector improved at a slower pace due to weaker growth in new business inflows. Nonetheless, order books continued to expand sharply, driving strong overall business activity. Employment rebounded in April after a brief dip in March, as companies aimed to boost capacity. However, firms in Dubai expressed subdued confidence about future activity, with sentiment among the lowest on record.

Kuwait sees strongest output

Kuwait's non-oil private sector saw significant gains in April, with the country’s PMI rising to 54.2 from 52.3 in March—marking one of the sharpest expansions on record since the survey began in 2018.

“It was a bumper start to the second quarter of 2025 for non-oil companies in Kuwait, with a further influx of new orders leading companies to expand output at one of the sharpest rates since the survey began,” said Andrew Harker, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The expansion was driven by robust new order growth, supported by competitive pricing and strategic marketing efforts. However, firms faced rising input costs that made it harder to maintain price stability.

While employment rose only marginally, the minimal hiring contributed to a further buildup in outstanding work.

“It remains to be seen, however, whether firms will be able to keep restricting selling prices in a scenario where input costs are rising sharply,” Harker noted. “The coming months will illustrate the extent to which companies are happy to see margins come under pressure in order to keep orders flowing in.”

Kuwaiti firms also reported a notable increase in export orders. Optimism about future output remained high, supported by competitive strategies, product development, and marketing.

Qatar growth slows slightly

Qatar’s non-oil sector saw a slight dip in overall momentum in April, with its PMI falling to 50.7 from 52 in March. Despite the decline, the index stayed above the neutral 50 mark for the 16th consecutive month, reflecting continued—if slower—growth.

Output among Qatari non-energy firms rose for the first time in 2025, but the sector faced a drop in new business and a cooling labor market.

“The PMI indicated continuing growth of the non-energy private sector economy at the start of the second quarter, but there was a loss of momentum owing mainly to a renewed reduction in new business and slower employment growth,” said Trevor Balchin, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

“The latest figure of 50.7 was the lowest in three months and below the long-run trend level of 52.3, as weaker demand offset an increase in total output.”

Growth was led by the manufacturing, services, and wholesale and retail sectors, while construction activity remained weak despite signs of stabilization.

Job creation remained positive across sectors, although April saw the slowest employment growth since August 2024.

“The employment component remained elevated in April, indicating further strong jobs growth. That said, there was evidence that the recent labor market boom was easing, with the rate of job creation down at an eight-month low,” Balchin said.

Wage growth also slowed to a five-month low but remained among the strongest since the survey’s inception in 2017.

Looking ahead, Qatari businesses maintained optimism for the year ahead, citing growth in real estate, infrastructure development, tourism, and a rising expatriate population as key drivers.


Lewandowski back to Barcelona squad for 2nd leg against Inter Milan in the Champions League

Updated 3 min 29 sec ago
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Lewandowski back to Barcelona squad for 2nd leg against Inter Milan in the Champions League

Lewandowski back to Barcelona squad for 2nd leg against Inter Milan in the Champions League
  • The striker missed four games, including last week’s thrilling first leg against Inter in Barcelona, when the teams drew 3-3
  • The 36-year-old Lewandowski is having one of his best seasons with Barcelona, having scored 40 goals
BARCELONA: Barcelona is getting a boost in attack with the return of Robert Lewandowski ahead of Tuesday’s second leg against Inter Milan in the Champions League.
Lewandowski was included in the squad on Monday after being sidelined for about two weeks because of a left thigh injury.
The striker missed four games, including last week’s thrilling first leg against Inter in Barcelona, when the teams drew 3-3.
The Polish striker was injured in a Spanish league match against Celta Vigo on April 19.
“After two weeks working on his recovery and training with the squad on Sunday, he has been given the all clear to return to action,” Barcelona said.
The 36-year-old Lewandowski is having one of his best seasons with Barcelona, having scored 40 goals in total, including 11 in the Champions League. He leads the Spanish league with 25 goals, one more than Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick rested nearly all of his regular starters in the team’s 2-1 win at Valladolid in the Spanish league on Saturday. With four games each remaining, Barcelona has a four-point lead over Madrid ahead of next Sunday’s “clasico” between the rival teams.

19 killed after fuel tanker blast in Pakistan

19 killed after fuel tanker blast in Pakistan
Updated 32 min 50 sec ago
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19 killed after fuel tanker blast in Pakistan

19 killed after fuel tanker blast in Pakistan
  • Oil tanker caught fire in southwestern Nushki district on April 28
  • Police say investigating possibility of negligence in oil tanker blast 

QUETTA, Pakistan: The death toll from an oil tanker blast in southwest Pakistan jumped to 19, officials said Monday, a week after the incident.

Crowds had gathered to douse the flames of the burning tanker after it pulled over near a market, when it exploded.More than 40 people were injured, many of them transported to the mega city of Karachi for treatment.

“The death toll climbs to 19,” local police official Muhammad Hasan Mengal told AFP.

The incident happened on April 28 in Nushki, a district of Balochistan province. 

He said police were investigating the possibility of negligence.


Pakistan calls on international partners to restrain ‘spoilers’ as Moody’s concerned over India standoff

Pakistan calls on international partners to restrain ‘spoilers’ as Moody’s concerned over India standoff
Updated 34 min 5 sec ago
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Pakistan calls on international partners to restrain ‘spoilers’ as Moody’s concerned over India standoff

Pakistan calls on international partners to restrain ‘spoilers’ as Moody’s concerned over India standoff
  • Moody’s Ratings said escalating frictions with India would weigh on Pakistan’s economic growth, impair access to external financing
  • Last week, according to media reports, India raised concerns with the IMF on its loans to Pakistan, asking for a review of bailout

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday urged the international community to prevent ‘spoilers’ from obstructing its path to economic growth as Moody’s Ratings said escalating frictions between New Delhi and Islamabad could weigh on Pakistan’s economic growth and impair access to external financing.

Dar’s comments came in the wake of New Delhi blaming Islamabad for a deadly attack on domestic tourists in Indian Kashmir last month. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to punish the backers of the attack “beyond their imagination” and fears have been rising that India might carry our surgical strikes or special forces raids along the de facto border that divides the disputed Kashmir valley between the two nations. Pakistan has denied involvement in last Tuesday’s attack but has warned it will hit back if it is targeted.

Speaking at the 4th Annual Regional Dialogue 2025 organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in Islamabad, Dar, who is also the foreign minister, said Pakistan was endowed with rich natural and human resources and an enormous economic potential, located at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East, and wanted to “capitalize on these inherent advantages for the prosperity and betterment of our people and that of the region.”

“We have prioritized geo-economics as one of the cardinal pillars of our engagement with our international partners. We are determined to enhance regional connectivity, and increase bilateral and multilateral developmental partnerships for socio-economic uplift,” the foreign minister said.

“To achieve these goals, we are desirous of peace in the region and beyond. At a time when we are headed on the path of economic stability, we do not want any distractions from our people-centric development agenda.”

He said he hoped the international community would help Islamabad achieve its goals, and prevent any spoilers in the region “from obstructing our path to peace and prosperity.”

The recent standoff with India has come as Pakistan treads a tricky and narrow path to economic recovery. 

On Monday, Moody’s Ratings said tensions between India and Pakistan would impair Pakistan’s economic growth and access to external financing. The ratings agency said persistent tensions could pressure Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves, though it did not expect a full-scale military conflict.

Pakistan secured a $7 billion bailout program from the IMF last year and was granted a new $1.3 billion climate resilience loan in March.

The program is critical to the $350 billion economy and Pakistan said it has stabilized under the bailout that helped it stave off a default threat.

Last week, according to media reports, India raised concerns with the IMF on its loans to Pakistan, asking for a review. 

The adviser to Pakistan’s finance minister has said the IMF program is “well on track.”

“The latest review has been done well and we are completely on track,” adviser Khurram Schehzad, told Reuters last week, adding that Pakistan had very productive spring meetings with financial institutions in Washington.

“We did about 70 meetings ... interest has been very high for investing and supporting Pakistan as the economy turns around,” Schehzad said.

The soaring tensions between the two countries have drawn global attention and calls for cooling tempers.

US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday Washington hoped Pakistan would cooperate with India to hunt down Pakistan-based assailants.

Kashmir is claimed in full by both Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, but each rules it in part.

-With input from Reuters


Thousands worldwide benefit from KSrelief medical programs

Thousands worldwide benefit from KSrelief medical programs
Updated 40 min 25 sec ago
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Thousands worldwide benefit from KSrelief medical programs

Thousands worldwide benefit from KSrelief medical programs
  • On Saturday, the organization also concluded its volunteer open-heart surgery and catheterization project in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

RIYADH: The Saudi aid agency KSrelief completed medical programs in Tajikistan, Turkiye, and Tanzania, in line with the organization’s aim to support injured people worldwide.

The Saudi Noor Campaign, which will conclude on May 6, is tackling blindness in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

The medical team examined 1,731 cases, assigned 198 prescription glasses, performed 60 operations and provided medication to 857 patients.

In Reyhanli district, Türkiye, KSrelief carried out a prosthetics and rehabilitation program.

With a team of 13 specialists, they fitted 36 individuals with prosthetics and 40 orthopedic splints.

On Saturday, the organization also concluded its volunteer open-heart surgery and catheterization project in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The team performed 133 open-heart catheterizations and 15 open-heart operations.