On Sept. 13, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin met with Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat on the White House lawn. With President Clinton looking on, officials from both sides signed a "framework for peace."
Then, in a dramatic gesture felt around the world, Rabin and Arafat shook hands as Clinton looked on.
In signing the accord, the PLO acknowledged Israel's right to exist and promised to refrain from violence. Israel agreed to turn over Jericho and the Gaza Strip to Palestinian rule.
While the accord was praised around the world, it has been difficult to implement. Negotiations continued as the end of the year neared. Muslim fundamentalists stepped up their campaign of violence in an effort to derail the deal. Jewish settlers staged demonstrations and protests.
As Arafat noted Sept. 13, building the peace will require even more courage and determination than signing the document.
