Alongside the wars runs a parallel story: repeated, partial, fragile attempts to make peace. The elective is literally titled "the struggle for peace," so this topic is central. The skill is to assess why each attempt achieved what it did — and why none has produced a final settlement.
How this content is examined
- Essays. Examine/assess the attempts to settle the conflict; evaluate the success of the peace process; the role of specific agreements or leaders.
- Source analysis. UNSCR 242, the Oslo Accords and Camp David documents recur — know their terms and their gaps.
1. UN Resolution 242 (1967) — the framework
- After the Six-Day War, 242 set out the "land for peace" principle: Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories in exchange for recognition and secure borders.
- Success: it became the foundational basis for later treaties.
- Limitation: it referred to refugees but not to Palestinians as a national group, and the meaning of "occupied territories" stayed disputed.
2. The Camp David Accords (1978) and Egypt–Israel Treaty (1979)
- Brokered by US President Carter between Sadat (Egypt) and Begin (Israel): Egypt recognised Israel; Israel returned the Sinai.
- Success: the first peace between Israel and a major Arab state — a genuine breakthrough (it held).
- Limitation: the parallel "framework for peace" was written without consulting the Palestinians and was rejected at the UN; Sadat was later assassinated for making peace.
3. The Oslo Accords (1993 & 1995) — the high-water mark
- Secret talks produced mutual recognition between Israel and the PLO, a planned Israeli withdrawal from parts of the territories, and a Palestinian Authority to govern the West Bank and Gaza, with final-status issues left for later.
- Success: the most significant step ever toward a two-state solution; direct Israeli–Palestinian negotiation.
- Limitation: extremists on both sides wrecked it — an Israeli zealot assassinated PM Rabin (1995); Hamas and Islamic Jihad escalated attacks; Israel then elected the hardline Netanyahu. Final status was never reached.
4. Later efforts
- The Hebron Agreement (1996) handed most of Hebron to Palestinian control (with a residual Israeli presence) — a partial implementation of Oslo.
- The Camp David Summit (2000) (Clinton, Barak, Arafat) failed to reach a final settlement, and the Second Intifada followed.
5. Why peace has proved so elusive
- Core sticking points recur: the Occupied Territories and settlements, the status of Jerusalem, the right of return of refugees, security, and the exclusion of Palestinian voices from early deals.
- Spoilers: extremists and rejectionists on both sides repeatedly derailed momentum (Rabin's assassination is the classic example).
6. Historical perspectives
- Progress or illusion? Did Oslo represent real progress toward two states, or a process doomed by unresolved core issues and bad faith?
- Bilateral vs international: were US-brokered bilateral deals more effective than UN frameworks — or did sidelining the UN and the Palestinians guarantee fragility?
7. Recurring exam question patterns & what high answers do
- "Examine the attempts to settle the conflict." High answers: go through 242 → Camp David → Oslo → later efforts, giving each a verdict on success and limitation, and identify the recurring flaw (excluding Palestinians; spoilers).
- "Evaluate the success of the peace process." High answers: weigh genuine breakthroughs (Egypt–Israel, mutual recognition) against the failure to reach final status.