The Wye Memorandum, signed at the White House on October 23, is described as an agreement "to facilitate" the implementation of previous agreements. The agreement goes into effect on November 2. The seven-page memorandum is brief relative to prior Israeli-Palestinian interim agreements, particularly the September 1995 Interim Agreement.

The concepts outlined in the Wye Memorandum are not new. The issues negotiated ­­ including a further Israeli redeployment (FRD) from areas of the West Bank, Palestinian security commitments, the revision of the Palestine National Charter ­­ have all been dealt with in previous agreements.

What is new in the Wye Memorandum? Most significant is the unprecedented United States involvement in monitoring Palestinian compliance with security commitments as well as a U.S commitment to facilitate implementation and further negotiations. The agreement includes a fixed timeline for implementation. The pending Israel redeployment is broken down over a 12-week period, with each withdrawal commensurate with Palestinian progress on security commitments and the abrogation of anti-Israel sections of the Palestinian Charter. Once the Israeli redeployment is completed, 18.2 percent of the West Bank will now fall under complete Palestinian control, 21.8 percent will fall under joint Israeli-Palestinian control, and the remaining 60% under sole Israeli control.

In addition to the Memorandum, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright sent separate letters to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat. To date, only the side letter to Israel, which provides reassurances on the U.S. commitment to Israel's security, has been made public.

The Details

Further Redeployments (FRDs)

• Israel agrees to redeploy from 13 percent of the West Bank from areas now under total Israeli jurisdiction (Area C). One percent of this territory will now be transferred to sole Palestinian jurisdiction (Area A). Twelve percent of this territory will now be transferred to joint Israeli-Palestinian jurisdiction (Area B -- Israeli security jurisdiction and Palestinian civilian jurisdiction).

  Under the agreement, 3 percent of the area being transferred to joint Israeli-Palestinian jurisdiction will be designated as "Green Areas and/or Nature Reserves." With this designation, no new construction will be permitted with this area. Within this area, Israel will have overriding security responsibility.

• Israel agrees to redeploy from 14.2 percent of the West Bank now under joint Israeli-Palestinian jurisdiction (Area B). This area will now come under sole Palestinian jurisdiction (Area A).

• A third redeployment will be discussed in a committee. The committee will regularly brief the United States. According to the letter from Secretary of State Warren Christopher of January 1997, Israel will determine the scope of the redeployment.

• The redeployments are incremental over a 12-week period, with each withdrawal commensurate with Palestinian action.

  Week 2 after entry into force of Wye River Memorandum: 2 percent of Area C (full Israeli control) transferred to Area B (joint control); 7.1 percent of Area B transferred to Area A (full Palestinian control).
  Week 2-6: 5 percent of Area C transferred to Area B. Week 6-12: 5 percent of Area C transferred to Area B; 1 percent of Area C transferred to Area A; 7.1 percent of Area B transferred to Area A.
  After Week 12: Continued talk on third redeployment.
  

Security

• Both Israel and the Palestinians agree "to take all measures necessary in order to prevent acts of terrorism, crime and hostilities." In addition, both sides "recognize that it is in their vital interest to combat terrorism and fight violence." The combating of terrorism must be "comprehensive" dealing with "terrorists, the terror support structure, and the environment conducive to the support of terror."

• In addition, the Albright letter reportedly states that the United States wishes "...to reiterate our ironclad commitment to Israel's security and to peace, and to stress that Palestinian security undertakings are a critical foundation of the Memorandum."

• The Palestinians will develop a work plan to fight terrorists and their infrastructure. This plan will be shared with the U.S. A U.S.-Palestinian committee will meet every two weeks to review the steps being taken by the Palestinians "to eliminate terrorist cells and the support structure that plans, finances, supplies and abets terror." A trilateral U.S.-Palestinian-Israeli committee will meet to deal with security cooperation, assess steps taken to combat terror, and address the issue of external support for terrorism.

• The Palestinians agree to arrest, prosecute and punish "specific" individuals suspected for perpetrating acts of terrorism and violence. A joint U.S.-Palestinian committee will review and evaluate the information on decisions of the prosecution of individuals suspected of acts of terrorism. (The Albright letter confirms that the Palestinians will act on the cases which have been "identified." In addition, the U.S. will "express our opposition to any unwarranted releases of such suspects, and in the event of such a release, we will be prepared to express our position publicly.")

• The Palestinians will issue a decree "prohibiting all forms of incitement to violence or terror" and establish a mechanism to act against threat of violence and terrorism. A U.S.-Palestinian-Israel committee will meet to monitor cases of incitement. Each of the three sides will appoint to the committee "a media specialist, a law enforcement representative, an educational specialist and a current or former elected official."

• The Palestinians will collect illegal weapons. The U.S. will "assist in carrying out this program." A U.S.-Palestinian-Israeli committee will promote cooperation in preventing the smuggling of weapons into Palestinian areas.

Palestinian National Charter

• Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasir Arafat and other Palestinian leaders will invite members of the Palestinian National Council along with members of the Central Council, the Council and Palestinian Heads of Ministries to reaffirm the decisions to nullify those provisions in the Palestinian National Charter which are "inconsistent" with previous agreements with Israel and "reaffirm their support for the peace process." President Clinton will address this meeting. The entire process must be concluded within six weeks after the Wye River Memorandum goes into effect.

Permanent Status Talks

• Israel and the Palestinians will immediately resume permanent status negotiations "on an accelerated basis" with an effort to meet the mutual goal of reaching an agreement by May 4, 1999. The U.S. will facilitate these discussions.

Unilateral Actions

• "Recognizing the necessity to create a positive environment for the negotiations, neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."

Other Issues:

• A Gaza Industrial Estate will open in a timely manner. The parties have also agreed on a protocol for the operation of the Gaza airport. Israel and the Palestinians will negotiate an agreement on a Gaza port.

• Negotiations on Safe Passage for Palestinians will resume immediately.

• Other issues which were reportedly part of the agreement, particularly the release of 750 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, are not mentioned specifically in the Memorandum.