Texts of Ariel Sharon & Mahmoud Abbas’ Ceasefire Declarations

Texts of Ariel Sharon & Mahmoud Abbas’ Ceasefire Declarations

This post provides links to the full texts of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ declaration of a ceasefire at the Sharm al-Sheikh summit on February 8, 2005, when Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders gathered in the Sinai Peninsula to try put an end the Second Intifada. Both Sharon and Abbas expressed a commitment to the Quartet on the Middle East’s Road Map for Peace plan, including a renunciation of violence, hopes for an independent, democratic Palestinian state, and ushering in an era of true peace, freedom and prosperity. Sharon also warns against the rise of extremism, insists on the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure, and states gestures toward peace from the Israeli side, including the Disengagement from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners. Abbas acknowledges contentious issues, including Israeli settlements, Palestinian prisoners, the separation wall, the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, and conflicts around water and borders. Despite apparent good intentions, the violence continued in the following years, especially with the rise of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.