The Oslo Peace Process of the 1990s and Relationship between Israel and the Palestinians - Dissertation Example

Scholars and academics have dissected the facts and circumstances and attempted to discover the reasons for the failure of the Oslo Accords. Two dominant themes were identified in the literature. One theme demonstrates a tendency to blame the internal political contestations between the PLO and Hamas as the culprit. The other them are Israeli-related and points to Israel’s ambitions to enlarge and normalize its occupation of Palestine. This research study analyzes both themes and concludes that it was a combination of both Israeli political ambitions and internal political contestation.

The 21st century remains haunted by a number of long and unresolved conflicts, none more turbulent than the Israeli-Arab conflict (Kittrie, 2003). Long-standing uncertainties about Palestine’s state status are juxtaposed against Israel’s determination to secure its borders in an increasingly hostile and contentious region. Yet in1993, the ongoing conflict appeared to be on its final legs as it appeared Palestine and Israel had agreed to a peace settlement also known as the Oslo accords (Sayigh, 2002).

However, by 2000, the conflict intensified and the need for a solution is more important than ever before. Instability in the region threatens peace in the Middle East and the rest of the world. Thus by identifying the reasons for the failure of the Oslo accords during the 1990s can help us to identify what went wrong with the construction of a new and more realistic intervention scheme. Scholars and academics have conducted significant research into the causes of the Oslo accord failure. Findings are varied although two main themes have been identified in the literature.

One theme demonstrates a tendency to attribute the Oslo peace failure to internal political contestation with Palestine. The other theme tends to shift blame for the Oslo peace failure to Israel’s behaviour and sense of entitlement. The arguments in the literature that will be examined in this research study are therefore divided into two main categories: Palestinian-Related Factors and Israeli-Related Factors. Palestinian-Related Factors Using the theory of internal political contestation, Pearlman (2008/09) argues that the Oslo Peace Conference failed because internal conflicts over contested leadership in Palestine led to violence and disruptions specifically calculated to spoil the peace negotiation process (p.80). Similar arguments are made by Shikaki (2002) who argues that internal political conflict over perceived failure by the Palestinian Liberation Army (PLO) and its failure to secure an independent Palestine is the catalyst for the failed Oslo accords of the 1990s.

Indyk (2003) likewise attributes the failed Oslo peace settlement of the 1990s to internal conflicts and places the blame on insurgencies and terrorism and poor government institutions in Palestinian territories. Kydd and Walter (2002) use a game theory model to demonstrate that extremism and a lack of confidence within Palestine led to the deliberate “derailing” of the “peace process” (p. 263).