Summary
The armistice agreement between Egypt and Israel signed on 24 February 1949 at Rhodes, in its own text an instrument dictated exclusively by military considerations, valid only for the period of the Armistice, whose Demarcation Line is not a political or territorial boundary and whose provisions prejudice no rights, claims or positions in the ultimate peaceful settlement of the Palestine question (Egyptian-Israeli General Armistice Agreement, PDF p.3, p.8).
Details
- It establishes a general armistice between the Parties’ land, sea and air forces in pursuance of the Security Council resolutions of 4 and 16 November 1948, withdraws the Egyptian forces in the Al Faluja area beyond the Egypt-Palestine frontier under United Nations supervision, and delineates the Gaza-Rafah Armistice Demarcation Line by the 13 November 1948 Memorandum’s line from the coast at Wadi Ghazza to the Egyptian frontier (Articles II, III and VI, PDF p.2, p.4).
- It limits the western front to defensive forces only, demilitarizes El Auja and vicinity, provides for exchange of all prisoners of war within twenty-one days of signing, and creates the Egypt-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission at El Auja (Articles VII, VIII, IX and X, PDF p.4-8).
- It is not subject to ratification, comes into force immediately on signing, supersedes the Egyptian-Israeli General Cease-Fire Agreement of 24 January 1949, and remains in force until a peaceful settlement is achieved, with revision or suspension of provisions other than Articles I and II by mutual consent at any time or, after one year, through a Secretary-General-convoked conference (Article XII, PDF p.8-9).
Related pages
Egyptian-Israeli General Armistice Agreement, Egypt, Israel, El Auja, Israel–Jordan Armistice Agreement (Rhodes, 1949)