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Israel and the Palestinians ·

The Roadmap

A phased international plan proposed by the Quartet — not an agreement negotiated or signed by the parties.

In 30 seconds

In 2003 the Quartet published a three-phase plan: an end to violence and a settlement freeze, a Palestinian state with provisional borders, and permanent status. The Palestinian Authority accepted it in principle and Israel accepted it with 14 reservations. It was not implemented beyond partial steps.

Where it stands today

The plan was not implemented and its implementation was discontinued; its target of a comprehensive settlement by 2005 has passed3. The Security Council endorsed it in Resolution 1515, and it remains a reference document, not an active plan4.

In one sentence

To take the two sides out of the Second Intifada and lead them, phase by phase, to a permanent two-state settlement by 2005.

The challenge

The Second Intifada broke out at the end of September 2000. The Mitchell committee found in April 2001 that there was no evidence of deliberate escalation by either side, but that both sides could have done more to prevent the violence1.

The price was heavy for both peoples. According to B'Tselem, in the decade from 29 September 2000 to 26 September 2010 Israeli security forces killed 6,371 Palestinians, 1,317 of them minors, and Palestinians killed 1,083 Israelis, 741 of them civilians2.

The road there

  1. The Mitchell committee publishes its report and recommends a ceasefire, confidence-building steps and a return to negotiations1.
  2. President George W. Bush sets out his vision, on which the plan is built3.
  3. The final text of the Roadmap is published3.
  4. The Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1515, endorsing the Roadmap4.

The people

What was proposed

  • Phase one: an end to the violence of the Intifada, a return to the situation on the ground that preceded it, rebuilding of Palestinian institutions and a freeze on settlement construction3.
  • Phase two: a Palestinian state with provisional borders, supported by an international conference3.
  • Phase three: permanent-status negotiations, aiming at a comprehensive settlement by 20053.
  • Progress by performance: reciprocal steps by both sides in the political, security, economic and institution-building fields, accompanied by the Quartet4.

The geography

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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

  • Ariel Sharon's government attached 14 reservations, among them rejection of the settlement freeze and of the timelines, and making progress conditional on a complete end to Palestinian violence3.
  • Sharon insisted that the Palestinian Authority first act against Hamas and other armed groups; Mahmoud Abbas refused to use force against the factions and sought to bring them into politics5.

What was carried out

  • The Palestinian Authority, through Abbas, accepted the plan in principle, and attempts were made to reach a ceasefire3.

What was not

  • The violence did not stop and settlement construction continued, contrary to the requirements of phase one5.
  • No state with provisional borders was established and no permanent-status settlement was reached3.

What remains open

  • In 2005 Israel chose a unilateral step, the disengagement from Gaza, rather than the plan's agreed path5.
  • At the Annapolis conference in 2007 the two sides again committed themselves to implementing the Roadmap, with the United States assigned to monitor it6.

Sources

  1. Research Economic Cooperation Foundation (ECF)
    Mitchell Report (2001)
  2. Reference B'Tselem · 27 September 2010
    10 years to the second Intifada — summary of data
  3. Research Economic Cooperation Foundation (ECF)
    Road Map for Peace (2003)
  4. Primary United Nations (UNISPAL) · 19 November 2003
    Security Council adopts resolution 1515 (2003) endorsing the Quartet Roadmap — press release SC/7924
  5. Research Congressional Research Service · 16 September 2005
    Israel's Disengagement from Gaza (RS22000)
  6. Research Congressional Research Service · 7 December 2007
    Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process: The Annapolis Conference (RS22768)