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Israel and the Palestinians ·

Taba talks

Permanent-status negotiations that ended without an agreement; the main record is an unofficial paper written by the EU envoy, not an agreed and signed text.

In 30 seconds

In January 2001 Israeli and Palestinian delegations spent six days in Taba discussing borders, Jerusalem, refugees and security. They said they had never been closer to an agreement, but time ran out and the talks ended without one.

Where it stands today

The talks ended on 27 January 2001 without an agreement2. What was discussed binds neither side; it is recorded only in an unofficial paper3.

In one sentence

A last-minute attempt to turn the Clinton Parameters into a permanent agreement, two weeks before an Israeli election.

The challenge

The Camp David summit ended in July 2000 without an agreement. On 23 December 2000 President Bill Clinton presented bridging parameters1, and Taba was meant to test whether an agreement could be built on them2.

Time was short: an election for prime minister was set in Israel for 6 February 2001, and the United States did not take part in the talks2.

The road there

  1. Clinton presents his parameters to the two sides1.
  2. Talks open in Taba. Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami heads the Israeli delegation; Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) heads the Palestinian one2.
  3. Ehud Barak ends the talks; the two sides issue a joint statement2.
  4. The newspaper Haaretz publishes the Moratinos paper after it is leaked2.

The people

What was discussed

  • Territory: according to the Moratinos paper, Israel presented a map in which it would annex about 6% of the West Bank; the Palestinians presented a map of about 3.1% as part of a land swap3.
  • Gaza Strip: full Palestinian sovereignty and evacuation of all settlements, with the timetable in dispute; both sides accepted a land link between Gaza and the West Bank3.
  • Jerusalem: both sides accepted Clinton's principle — Arab neighbourhoods under Palestinian sovereignty, Jewish neighbourhoods under Israeli sovereignty — and Jerusalem as the capital of two states. The holy sites were left unresolved3.
  • Refugees: position papers were exchanged and compensation mechanisms and an international fund were discussed; no numbers were agreed3.
  • Security: Israel demanded a non-militarised Palestinian state and the Palestinians proposed a state with limited arms; a gap also remained over the length of the withdrawal3.

Read the document

The geography

100%
Schematic map of Israel and its neighbours with line typesWest BankGaza StripJerusalemTel AvivGazaRamallahAmmanRafahNaharayim / Baqura

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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

  • The two sides negotiated the most sensitive issues — Jerusalem, refugees and borders — while the Second Intifada continued and without knowing who would lead Israel two weeks later2.

What was carried out

—

What was not

  • No agreement was signed. In the joint statement the two sides expressed their intention to resume negotiations after the Israeli election4.

What remains open

  • There is no official agreed record. Miguel Moratinos, the EU envoy, wrote the paper on the basis of his conversations with both delegations; it has no official status, but both sides regarded it as a relatively fair description3.
  • According to the Institute for Palestine Studies, both delegations reviewed drafts of the paper and approved the final version in the summer of 20012.

Sources

  1. Research Economic Cooperation Foundation (ECF)
    Clinton Parameters (2000)
  2. Research Institute for Palestine Studies
    The Taba Negotiations (January 2001)
  3. Primary United Nations (UNISPAL) · 2001
    Moratinos' "Non-Paper" on Taba negotiations (unofficial EU summary)
  4. Primary Palestinian Refugee ResearchNet, McGill University · 27 January 2001
    Israeli-Palestinian Joint Statement (Taba), 27 January 2001