Temporary International Presence in the City of Hebron

TIPH is an international civilian observer mission. TIPH assists the parties in the normalization of the situation in the city and reports on their efforts and the breaches of the agreements on Hebron and international law. TIPH reports to the Palestinian and Israeli authorities and to the 6 member countries. 

 
 

The establishment of TIPH

The first TIPH mission was established in 1994, after Baruch Goldstein shot and killed 29 praying Palestinians in the Ibrahimi Mosque/ Cave of Machpela. The UN Security Council condemned the massacre in Resolution 904, and called for a temporary international presence in Hebron. Yasser Arafat announced that PLO would withdraw from any further peace negotiations with Israel unless they agreed to international observers in the city of Hebron.

On 31 March 1994, representatives from the PLO and Israel signed an agreement asking Italy, Denmark and Norway to provide support staff and observers for a Temporary International Presence in the City of Hebron ( TIPH). Its main mandate was to assist in promoting stability and restoring normal life in the city of Hebron.

On 8 May 1994 the TIPH mission was set up. However, the PLO and the Israeli government could not reach an agreement on an extension of the mandate, and TIPH withdrew from Hebron on 8 August 1994.

On 28 September 1995, the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (“ Oslo II”, “Taba”), was signed, and called for a partial redeployment of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from Hebron. Moreover, it called for another Temporary International Presence in Hebron to be established during the redeployment of the IDF from the city.

On 12 May 1996 the second TIPH mission, consisting of Norwegian members only, was set up under the condition that it would be replaced by a new TIPH mission upon the IDF’s redeployment from parts of Hebron. Subsequently, the mission operated until the partial Israeli redeployment from Hebron, which was set up for in the Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron on 17 January 1997.

On 21 January 1997, the two parties signed a new agreement, ‘The Agreement on the Temporary International Presence in the City of Hebron’, which called for Norway , Italy , Denmark , Sweden , Switzerland and Turkey to provide personnel for TIPH, with Norway as the coordinator. The agreement also delineated the tasks of TIPH and set the mandate period to three months, renewable for an additional period of three months, unless otherwise agreed between the two sides. Furthermore, with the consent of the two sides, TIPH could extend the period or change its scope of operation, as agreed.

On 30 January 1997, the six participating countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding in accordance to the Agreement on TIPH in Oslo. On 1 February 1997, the six nations’ TIPH mission entered into force.