The Clinton Parameters

The Clinton Parameters (, Mitveh Clinton, lit. Clinton's Outline) is a term attributed to the guidelines for Permanent Status Agreement, that were offered by then President of the United States, Bill Clinton, in late 2000.
The background for 'Clinton's Parameters' was the opening of the Second Intifada, 'al-Aqsa Intifada', the failure of 2000 Camp David Summit, the upcoming Israeli elections, which polls indicated a possible defeat for then Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and the end of the Clinton presidency, in which Clinton desired to end the eight years of Peace efforts and Middle East arena in a successful note. The proposal was presented in 23 December 2000, with an emphasis by the President that the proposal was a 'take it or leave it' plan, in which each side may accept it or reject it as is, and may not offer any changes to it.
'Clinton's Parameters' included relinquishment of Palestinian claim for the right of return, Israeli concession of sovereignty in Temple Mount, though an Israeli sovereignty will remain over the Jewish Holy Site of the Western Wall and a symbolic ownership was to remain on the rest of Temple Mount. Jerusalem and the Old City of Jerusalem to be divided, and a Palestinian State to be established on most of the disputed territories of Judea, Samaria and Gaza (also known as "Occupied territories"), with the exception of the 'Block of Settlements' (Ma'ale Adumim, Ariel and Gush Etzion) that were to be annexed to Israel. According to the plan, the Palestinian State was to include 95% of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), and around 80% of the settlers were to remain under Israeli sovereignty, and in exchange for that, Israel will concede some territory (so called 'Territory Exchange' or 'Land Swap') within the Green Line (1967 borders).
Despite the 'Clinton's Parameters' being contradictory to the principles that Prime Minister Ehud Barak committed himself during his election campaign, like 'Undivided Jerusalem' and sovereignty over Temple Mount, the 'Clinton Parameters' received a broad support within the Israeli Cabinet, with only Cabinet Minister, Roni Milo, resigning over his objection to the Cabinet's approval of the plan.
The Palestinian response was evasive. Additional attempts to rich a compromise in Taba Summit were rejected by the Palestinian side. In Israel, The Prime Minister's opponents claimed that his government lacks the support of the Israeli public, the Knesset (Israeli parliament) and the polls, and that he was submitting Israel to a "liquidation sale".
Despite 'Clinton's Parameters' being the guidelines of recent year's compromises proposals, it does not oblige the Israeli Governments and was contradictory to Ariel Sharon's policy, when he replaced Prime Minister Ehud Barak in Office.
==External links==
*'Clinton's Outline', full text (Hebrew), 'Ken La'heskem' (Yes to the agreement) website, a website of the supporters of the Geneva initiative.
*"Clinton Outline" and the Arab Initiative for solving the Israeli-Arab Conflict, a background document, Knesset (Israeli parliament) website (full text in Hebrew of the 'Clinton Outline')
* The “Clinton Parameters”, Jewish Virtual Library, President Clinton's Remarks to the Israeli Policy Forum
*Clinton Parameters, The Jewish Peace Lobby website, full text (English)
*TEXT: Clinton speech on Mideast Peace Parameters, January 8, 2001, US Embassy in Israel website
*Comparing the Clinton Paramters and the Nusseibeh-Ayalon Statement of Principles, The Jewish Peace Lobby wesite (table comparison)
*Official Palestinian Response to The Clinton Parameters (and letter to the international community, January 1, 2001), PLO negotiations Affairs Department - Negotiations & The peace Process
*Bill Clinton Reflects on 2000 Camp David Summit (2005), Jewish Virtual Library, quoting from President Bill Clinton's autobiography, “My Life,” on the events of December 23, 2000 and his parameters.
Category:Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Category:History of Israel
Category:Israeli–Palestinian peace efforts
Category:Middle East peace efforts
Category:Arab–Israeli conflict
Category:Israel – United States relations
he:מתווה קלינטון