Benjamin Netanyahu confirms putting brakes on Oslo Accords

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Saturday that reports suggesting he impeded the Oslo Accords were accurate, marking 30 years since the first direct Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement.

Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu acknowledged the accusations of hindering the Oslo Accords and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“You and your journalist friends have been blaming me for almost thirty years for putting the brakes on the Oslo Accords and preventing the Palestinian state. That is true,” Netanyahu told reporters at the Tel Aviv press conference.

Responding to questions about his failure to withdraw from the Oslo Accords despite criticising the agreement, Netanyahu clarified that he inherited the accords. “The decision to bring the Palestine Liberation Oganisation (PLO) from Tunis, and plant in the heart of Judea and Samaria (West Bank), and in Gaza, was a decision made and implemented before I became prime minister. I thought it was a terrible mistake and I still do,” he said as quoted by the Times of Israel.

WHAT IS OSLO ACCORDS?

There were two Oslo Accords signed — one in Washington DC in 1993 and the other in Egypt in 1995. The first Oslo Accord, Oslo I, that was signed on September 13, 1993, saw both Israeli and Palestinian sides pledging to end their age-old conflict.

The second Oslo Accord, Oslo II, that was signed in September 1995 went into the detailing of the peace process it was supposed to form.

However, the Oslo Accords weren’t materialised till date.