1987: The Peres-Hussein Solution
One of the longest problems that had been had been haunting Israel was how to deal with the situation of Palestine, born from the broken promises of the British and the historical uncertainty of what to do now. Lack of compromise and bitterness contributed this troublesome situation. This has been the case throughout the decades, especially with the various wars and conflicts. However. As the dust settled down and people tired of war, there was the hope for peace and that someday, all of this could be resolved without bloodshed. And that hope began manifesting over in 1984 with the election of Shimon Peres of the Alignment Party. The Alignment Party had been edging out the Likud more and more since the late 1970s, especially with the growing resolutions toward peace with Iran and the general need of a solution without overreliance on the Americans. As such, this growing global wave of progressive politics even began influencing Israel. With achieving a coalition with Hadesh, Ratz and Shinui, Peres could begin implementing his ideas in full. One of which was the option for resolving the issues with Palestine: The Jordanian Option.
And the agreement for the conference would be established in early April between King Hussein of Jordan and Shimon Peres. Also present in the meeting were
Jordanian Prime Minister Zaid al-Rifai and Director General of the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry,
Yossi Beilin [1].
The Agreement that began the conference, hosted by the United Nations, outlined the purpose of the conference to be "the peaceful solution of the
Arab–Israeli conflictbased on resolutions
242 and
338 and a peaceful solution of the
Palestinian problem in all its aspects." The agreement also stipulated that the conference would not impose a solution on the parties, and that the Palestinians would be represented by the Jordanian delegation. Additionally, the requirements were that all parties accept
UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338 as well as renounce violence and terrorism, which both sides would accept. This would also have the side effect of excluding PLO participation [1]. The plan would be later submitted to US Secretary of State Jimmy Carter for American support. After plenty of good natured talks and cordial discussion, they finalized on most of the major issues.
Most of the West Bank would be under Jordanian sovereignty with the exception of Hebron and Jerusalem. Hebron would be annexed by Israel, with the people there being offered Jordanian citizenship to leave or figure out matters with Israel while Jerusalem would scheduled for a later conference due to time constraints and a request for further time on a solution for there. This along with other matters such as Gaza remained to be discussed, but for now, a major milestone has been achieved along with the ongoing plans.
Unsurprisingly, there was quite a mix of reactions here. Many nations around the world were pretty elated at the positive progress being made, with congratulations coming over from President Udall and Vice President Askew of the United States and even Gorbachev of the Soviet Union professed optimism at the situation. Even most nations in the Middle East expressed a form of relief, including Iran. Even Saudi Arabia have their tepid approval of the matters. Unsurprisingly the PLO were quite shocked and rather devastated by what happened. Some saw it as a betrayal while others fell into outrage and increased the infighting within the group, with tensions growing higher, likely to result in violence potentially spilling out
Meanwhile, the population of most of the West Bank would feel a sense of wariness yet relief in finally being able to live their lives in peace while the people in Hebron were left dealing with the complicated situation they were in though Israel, Jordan and the UN were lending aid on that front.
The people of Gaza meanwhile felt more a sense of resignation. It seemed like the end of the an independent Palestine and for many, the answers of what to do remained in the wind. One answer came in the form of the United States, who under humanitarian aims, agrees to take on a number of people of the West Bank or Gaza over the years to immigrate to the United States, with a few other nations like Canada being influenced to follow suit regarding these arrangements. Another answer was trying to appeal to Israel for some form of autonomy on the matter, especially as the leadership struggle has worsened. Jordan meanwhile was abuzz with dealing with the sudden expansion though outside assistance from the UN would help ensure the process being done smoothly and helped increase Jordanian prestige in the world. Peres would unsurprisingly catch a lot of flak for this in Israel from his opponents, but at the same time, they still got Hebron and there was now a greater chance for peace along with cooperation, namely in dealing with the violent individuals who would contest the deal made between the two nations. Indeed, preparations were being made to increase security around the parts along with that for the next meeting, which would occur within the next few years.
And all the while, as people were filling out paperwork and preparing for this grand transition either by getting used to being Jordanians, preparing discussions with the Israeli government or taking the American route to immigrate under a form of “special circumstance”. There was a sense of relief among most people and also a sense of hope. Not everything was resolved, but it was certainly a massive step forward in doing so.
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[1]- Phrasing and information coming from here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peres–Hussein_London_Agreement