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The 1949 Armistice Agreements

Four armistice agreements that ended the fighting of the 1948 war – not peace treaties, with no mutual recognition and no agreed borders.

In 30 seconds

Between February and July 1949 Israel signed four armistice agreements with its neighbours, mediated by the UN. They set military lines – including the one later known as the Green Line – and stressed that these were not political borders. They were meant as a temporary stage on the way to peace.

Where it stands today

As of October 2026: the agreements with Egypt and Jordan were replaced by peace treaties (1979, 1994). No peace treaty has been signed with Syria or Lebanon: talks with Syria have not yet produced an agreement7, and with Lebanon only a framework was signed in June 2026, as a first step toward a future agreement8.

In one sentence

To stop the fighting and fix temporary military lines until a peace settlement could be reached.

The challenge

The 1948 war ended without a political settlement. Israel wanted to end the fighting and secure its existence; the Arab states were not ready to recognise it or sign a peace. On 16 November 1948 the Security Council called on the parties to negotiate an armistice1.

The talks were led by the UN Acting Mediator, Ralph Bunche. He took over after the mediator Folke Bernadotte was assassinated in autumn 1948 by Jewish extremists2.

The road there

  1. The Security Council calls on the parties to negotiate an armistice1.
  2. The agreement with Egypt is signed at Rhodes1.
  3. The agreement with Lebanon is signed at Ras en-Naqoura3.
  4. The agreement with Jordan is signed at Rhodes4.
  5. The agreement with Syria is signed at Hill 232 near Mahanayim5.
  6. Bunche receives the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as mediator2.

The people

Mediated
Ralph Bunche

What was agreed

  • An end to the fighting and armistice lines between the forces.
  • The line with Egypt is not a political or territorial boundary, and was set without affecting either side's claims1.
  • The lines with Jordan were agreed without prejudice to future territorial settlements, boundary lines or the claims of either party4.
  • The line with Lebanon follows the international boundary between Lebanon and Mandatory Palestine3.
  • The agreement with Syria set up demilitarised zones and stated that they have no bearing on the final territorial settlement5.
  • Mixed Armistice Commissions chaired by a UN representative would supervise implementation; the agreements stay in force until a peace settlement is reached1.

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The geography

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Schematic map of Israel and its neighbours with line typesMediterranean SeaGulf of AqabaGulf of SuezEGYPTSinaiISRAELJORDANSYRIALEBANONSAUDI ARABIAWest BankGaza StripGolan HeightsJerusalemTel AvivGazaRamallahAmmanCairoDamascusBeirutSharm el-SheikhEilat · Aqaba · TabaRafahNaharayim / BaquraSuez

Choose a country on the map or in the list. Use + and − to zoom. On touch screens, enable gestures to drag and pinch; scroll the page outside the map. Keyboard: arrows to pan, + and − to zoom, Home to reset.

Layers · Legend
  • International boundary agreed in a peace treaty
  • Treaty line with Jordan, “without prejudice to the status” of the territory beyond it
  • 1949 armistice line (“Green Line”) — not an agreed final border
  • “Blue Line” — UN line of withdrawal (2000), not a border
  • Ceasefire / disengagement line with Syria (1974)
  • Other international boundary
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip: permanent status not agreed
  • Golan Heights: held by Israel since 1967; annexation not recognised by the UN
  • UN area of separation (UNDOF)

Classification follows the original research as of 7 Oct 2026. This schematic map is not a legal boundary map or a live update.

  • International boundary agreed in a peace treaty
  • Treaty line with Jordan, “without prejudice to the status” of the territory beyond it
  • 1949 armistice line (“Green Line”) — not an agreed final border
  • “Blue Line” — UN line of withdrawal (2000), not a border
  • Ceasefire / disengagement line with Syria (1974)
  • Other international boundary
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip: permanent status not agreed
  • Golan Heights: held by Israel since 1967; annexation not recognised by the UN
  • UN area of separation (UNDOF)

Schematic map. Lines are approximate and are not a legal determination. Data: Natural Earth (public domain), 1:10m scale; line classification and place names by this site. Lines as of October 2026. Peace map

The hard decisions

  • Each side accepted lines that did not match its aims, which is why the parties insisted on writing that the lines were not final4.
  • The Gaza Strip remained under Egyptian control and the West Bank under Jordanian control6; no Palestinian state was established.

What was carried out

  • The fighting stopped and the Mixed Armistice Commissions were set up1.

What was not

  • The agreements were meant as a transition to permanent peace4, but no such settlement was reached at the time. The first peace treaty was signed only 30 years later, with Egypt.

What remains open

  • The Green Line is the common name for the armistice lines, chiefly the Israel–Jordan line. By the agreements' own wording it is an armistice line, not an agreed final border4.
  • In the 1967 war the lines ceased to be the actual lines of control, but they remain a reference point in discussions about borders.

Sources

  1. Primary Avalon Project, Yale Law School · 24 February 1949
    Egyptian-Israeli General Armistice Agreement, February 24, 1949
  2. Reference The Nobel Prize
    Ralph Bunche – Facts (Nobel Peace Prize 1950)
  3. Primary Avalon Project, Yale Law School · 23 March 1949
    Lebanese-Israeli General Armistice Agreement, March 23, 1949
  4. Primary Avalon Project, Yale Law School · 3 April 1949
    Jordanian-Israeli General Armistice Agreement, April 3, 1949
  5. Primary Avalon Project, Yale Law School · 20 July 1949
    Israeli-Syrian General Armistice Agreement, July 20, 1949
  6. Reference נשים עושות שלום
    הסכמים מדיניים עיקריים במזרח התיכון
  7. Research Security Council Report · October 2026
    Syria – October 2026 Monthly Forecast
  8. Press The Times of Israel · 26 June 2026
    Full text of Israel-Lebanon framework deal that includes slight IDF pullback

Further reading