The revolution and pacts (65). The 1949 Armistice Agreements (IV). The Egyptian front. The Egyptian-Israeli Armistice agreement was the first of a series of agreements concluded under the aegis of UN mediator Ralph Bunche, as empowered by UN Security Council Resolution 62. On January 6, 1949, Dr. Bunche announced that Egypt had finally consented to start talks with Israel on an armistice. The talks began on the Greek island of Rhodes on January 12, and, shortly after their commencement, Israel agreed to the release of a besieged Egyptian battalion in Faluja. At the end of the month, the talks floundered. Israel demanded that Egypt withdraw all its forces from the former area of Palestine. Egypt insisted that Arab forces withdraw to the positions which they held on October 14, 1948, as per the Security Council Resolution S/1070 of November 4, 1948, and that the Israeli forces withdraw to positions north of the Majdal-Hebron road. The deadlock culminated on February 12, 1949 with the murder of Hassan el-Banna, leader of the Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood. (The Ikhwan Al-Muslimeen) Israel threatened to abandon the talks, whereupon the United States appealed to the parties to bring them to a successful conclusion. After lengthy and difficult parleys, most differences were resolved and an agreement was signed on February 24, 1949 in Rhodes. The purpose of the agreement was stated clearly in the Preamble as follows: in order to facilitate the transition from the present truce to permanent peace in Palestine, to negotiate an Armistice; and again in Article 1 as follows : With a view to promoting the return to permanent peace in Palestine and in recognition of the importance in this regard of mutual assurances concerning the future military operations of the Parties. The main points of the agreement were: * The armistice line was drawn along the international border (dating back to 1906) for the most part, except near the Mediterranean Sea, where Egypt remained in control of a strip of land along the coast, which became known as the Gaza Strip. * The Egyptian forces besieged in the Faluja Pocket were allowed to return to Egypt with their weapons, and the area was handed over to Israel. * A zone on both sides of the border around ‘Uja al-Hafeer was to be demilitarised, and became the seat of the bilateral armistice committee The controversy over the demilitarised zones caused much irritation and warfare, especially after Israel decided to establish, on its side of the Nitzana zone, settlements that the Egyptians considered military strongholds. In the aftermath of the 1956 Suez - Sinai War, Israel considered annulling its GAA with Egypt, but this failed to receive international recognition. The positioning of the UN Emergency Force along the demarcation lines after 1957 introduced a new factor into Egypt ��" Israel relations, in effect superseding application of the Egypt ��" Israel GAA. Israel's conquest of the Sinai Peninsula in June 1967 rendered the GAA inoperative, while the return of Sinai to Egypt in 1982 in accordance with the 1979 EgyptIsrael peace treaty resulted in its final, legal termination. Generally speaking, the Egyptian example paved the way for armistice arrangements between the other Arab states concerned (Jordan, Syria and Lebanon) and Israel. [email protected]
