What the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative offers and asks of Israel

What Arab leaders proposed in 2002

The League of Arab States adopted the Arab Peace Initiative in Beirut, Lebanon, on 28 March 2002. Presented by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, it proposed peace and normal relations between Arab states and Israel following Israeli withdrawal, an agreed settlement for Palestinian refugees and acceptance of a sovereign Palestinian state.

The initiative drew on the land-for-peace approach associated with the 1991 Madrid Conference and UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338. It also recalled the Arab summit held in Cairo in June 1996, which had committed Arab states to comprehensive peace while seeking a matching commitment from Israel.

What it asks of Israel

The adopted text calls for Israel to withdraw completely from Arab territories occupied since 1967. It specifically includes the occupied Syrian Golan, with withdrawal to the line of 4 June 1967, and areas of southern Lebanon described in the resolution as still occupied.

It also asks Israel to accept a sovereign, independent Palestinian state covering the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territories occupied since 4 June 1967. The proposed state's capital would be East Jerusalem.

How it addresses refugees

The initiative calls for a fair refugee settlement agreed by the parties, based on UN General Assembly resolution 194 (III). It also opposes Palestinian resettlement arrangements that conflict with the particular circumstances of Arab countries hosting refugees.

A different resolution passed at the same Beirut summit, numbered 14/224 B, explicitly called for recognition of Palestinian refugees' right of return under resolution 194. The initiative itself uses the formulation of an agreed refugee settlement.

What Arab states offer in return

Under the initiative, Arab states would then regard their conflict with Israel as over, conclude a peace agreement intended to secure every state in the region, and establish normal relations with Israel. These undertakings form part of a comprehensive regional settlement rather than a stand-alone bilateral agreement.

2007 and 2016: reaffirmation and Israeli responses

At their Riyadh summit on 28–29 March 2007, Arab leaders reaffirmed the version adopted in Beirut. They urged Israel to accept it, sought renewed direct negotiations across all tracks and assigned an Arab ministerial committee to pursue diplomatic support.

JTA reported in May 2016 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw useful elements in the proposal but wanted to negotiate changes reflecting regional developments while retaining a two-state goal. Newly appointed Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman also identified elements that could support regional dialogue, according to JTA.

How later normalisation agreements differ

The United Arab Emirates and Israel signed their bilateral treaty in Washington on 15 September 2020, providing for peace and full normalisation. Unlike the initiative's regional sequence, the treaty requires each side to meet its obligations regardless of another party's conduct. It also commits both countries to pursuing a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian settlement.

The Bahrain-Israel declaration likewise records agreement on full diplomatic ties, alongside plans for reciprocal embassies and sectoral agreements. It retains a commitment to efforts toward a comprehensive and lasting settlement between Israelis and Palestinians.

July 2025: a reference for further diplomacy

A statement by conference and working-group co-chairs following a UN gathering on 28–30 July 2025, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, cited the initiative among the foundations for comprehensive peace. It supported a timebound process linking a settlement to regional integration and mutual recognition, and backed two sovereign states with borders based on the 1967 lines.