Amirav Affair Draft

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The Amirav Affair is the name given to a series of talks, which took place in July-August, 1987, about a month before the first Intifada broke out, between the Likud ruling party representative, Prof. Moshe Amirav and the PLO senior Faisal Husseini, mediated by Prof. Sari Nusseibeh, from Al-Quds University, in which a memorandum of understanding was reached on August 25th. Its purpose was to establish a basis for the peace talks in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, between the Israeli Prime Minister Yizhak Shamir and PLO leader Yasser Arafat.

Background

Prof. Amirav fought in Division no. 55 during the Six-Day War and was wounded in the battle for Jerusalem. As he lay wounded in hospital, he wrote “The Story of a Paratrooper”. He was the first Likud chairman of The Israel Students Association. Amirav formulated a concept, whereby one must follow the spirit of the teachings of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who saw the Arab-Israeli conflict as a national conflict, therefore argued for recognizing it as a Palestinian national entity, and working vis-a vis, towards a political settlement. His plan, was published by Herut's Organization Department in the form of a booklet, which also reached the hands of Nusseibeh. On April 11, 1987, The London Agreement was signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister, Shimon Peres and Jordan’s King Hussein, which promoted the Jordanian option and offered Jordanian sovereignty over the entirety or most of the West Bank, ignoring the status of the PLO in the West Bank, as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. Consequently, people in the PLO tended to look for partners for negotiations, which were not from the Israeli left. With the mediation of Nusseibeh turned to Amirav and offered a first meeting with Husseini, the leader of the Palestinians in The West Bank.

The meetings

Amirav consulted with his friends from the Likud Dan Meridor, Roni Milo and Ehud Olmert, then a lawyer and a Member of Knesset. Olmert called Yitzhak Shamir, who approved of furthering the talks. During the first meeting, on July 3rd, 1987, at Amirav’s home in Ein Kerem, Nusseibeh suggested adding Husseini to the talks, who was then the most senior person of the PLO in Palestinian territories. On August 6th, 1987, Amirav had a personal meeting with Shamir. In this meeting, Amirav briefed him about his dialogue with Palestinian personalities. Shamir did not denounce the meetings, however he mentioned the necessity of being careful above all.

The second meeting took place on July 13th at Nusseibeh’s house in Abu Dis. There were Amirav, Shalom Yerushalmi, a journalist, a PLO activist and A-Shaab (newspaper) editor, Salah Zuheike and Husseini. Husseini expressed his position regarding direct negotiation without preconditions, since its very existence would constitute recognition of these parties, during which all hostilities would cease; however, he required all meetings to be kept secret. A third meeting, which was the second one with Husseini, took place on the July 30th at the Arab Studies Institute at the Orient House. An additional meeting, one that was held four days later, at Amirav’s house, with Ehud Olmert and Nusseibeh. On August 8 th Olmert and Husseini met in Amirav’s house. Despite mutual suspicion and distrust between the sides, various issues were discussed in the following meetings, which resulted in a document. On the 13th and last meeting, on August 25th , a memorandum was completed; Husseini passed it to Yasser Arafat and Amirav to Yitzhak Shamir.

The Memorandum

Recognized that:

1. The right to self-determination of both peoples cannot be appealed.
   Thus that:
2. The PLO is the legitimate representative of the Palestinian People, having the mandate and authority to negotiate with The Israeli Government, while Israel has the legitimate right to exist within safe, recognized borders.
   Thus that:
3. Any attempt to obtain order, which would exclude the Likud party or the PLO is condemned to failure.
   But that:
4. Current conditions are far from reaching a final settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We agree upon that:

1. There are two stages to the negotiations between the PLO and the Government of Israel. The first stage will lead to the establishment of an interim agreement; the second stage will lead to the establishment of a final agreement.
2. The first phase of negotiations can be initiated in a series of secret contacts, which would take place in Romania, Egypt, or any other country decided upon. The second stage of negotiations will take place within one year of completion of the interim agreement. The negotiating parties will decide according to the nature of the final peace conference and international guarantees required for the final agreement. Moreover, it is clear that the interim agreement will last for about 3-5 years.
3. Of course, the interim agreement will include the establishment of a Palestinian entity in the territories which have been occupied by Israel since June 1967, with an administrative Capital in the Arab parts of the city and where the Palestinian citizens will activate an autonomy at an extent to be defined during the first phase of the negotiations. This definition will take into consideration both the legitimate rights of The Palestinian entity, including its natural resources, as well as the Israelis’ demands concerning them. The autonomy will be established within one year of the interim agreement signing.
4. It is clear that this entity will also adopt national characteristics, such as currency, flag, national anthem, an independent transmission system, and the authority to issue identity cards and travel documents and other characteristics that would be agreed upon in future negotiations, understanding that none of these freedoms would frustrate the peace process which would be attained between this entity and Israel.
5. A comprehensive agreement, which will focus on the establishment of this entity, the status of Israeli settlements and settlers, Palestinian immigration and rehabilitation, sharing economic resources and trade relations etc.; will be achieved during the first stage of negotiations between Israel and The PLO.

Moreover, seeing the need to prepare the atmosphere for this peace initiative it is agreed at this time:

1. Israel will declare its recognition in The PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian People, and The PLO would declare its recognition in The State of Israel.
2. Both parties will declare their readiness to engage in direct negotiations with the other side to get to an agreement.
3. Israel would declare and will freeze all settlement activities during the first phase of the negotiations and will cease all violent action against the Palestinian people and its assets; the same will apply to The PLO, which will declare and potentially freeze all violence and undermining actions against Israel, Israel’s citizens and their property.

Post Events to Memorandum

On August 26th , a day after completion of the wording of the memorandum, Faisel Husseini passed it on to Yasser Arafat for inspection; he blessed it. Amirav passed the document to Yitzhak Shamir inspection; Shamir was about to go on a visit to Romania. Prior to that, Sari Nusseibeh suggested Romania as the mediator, as it had ties with Eastern countries, as well as western, plus its lack of involvement in The Camp David Accords. Arafat quickly forwarded the document to the ruler of Romania, Nicolae Ceaușescu, offering him mediation between himself and Shamir. The meetings and the document were revealed. Husseini was held in administrative detention, which was interpreted as Likud’s betrayal of The Palestinians. Nusseibeh was attacked, by extreme Palestinians, following the affair. Eventually, an end was put to the contacts between the parties.

Amirav’s prosecution and his declarative retirement from The Likud

The first intifada breaking out and the forthcoming elections sharpened the differences of opinion between the various parties and within them. A battle of versions erupted in the media, between Moshe Amirav and Yitzhak Shamir. Amirav was charged in the Supreme Court of the Herut Movement, which, behind closed doors, denounced him of his authorizations in the party’s institutions, but did not remove him from the movement. In response to that he tore up his membership card, thus removing himself completely from The Likud Movement. During the coming elections, the Minister of Energy, Moshe Shahal, “accused” Shamir of expressing willingness to Nicolae Ceaușescu, regarding having contacts with The PLO, based on Amirav’s document, though Shamir firmly denied it. On December 9th , the first Intifada broke out.

Retrospective

Since the Amirav affair at the end of 1987, the political situation has changed. The first Intifada broke out; In Moshe Amirav opinion,

Had Shamir agreed in 1987 to accept the plan for autonomy and recognition

in The PLO, the Intifada would not have taken place and there would have been a chance that the Likud itself would have made peace with The Palestinians.

On July 31st, 1988, King Hussein announced the disconnection of the relationship between Jordan and the West Bank, thus ending the chance of the Jordanian option. Israel recognized The PLO, held negotiations with the organization and even signed agreements with it. Several writers mentioned the similarity between the signed agreements with the PLO and other suggestions raised in other stages of the negotiations, with the memorandum drafted by Moshe Amirav and Faisel Husseini.

References

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