Historical eventOctober 301991

Madrid Conference of 1991

The Madrid Conference, an attempt by the international community to revive the Israeli–Palestinian peace process through negotiations, convened.

Everything on October 30Original source

In context

When
Wednesday, October 30 199135 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1990s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1991.

What came beforeAI-assisted

The First Intifada, a Palestinian uprising that began in December 1987, intensified Israeli-Palestinian tensions throughout the late 1980s. The Gulf War in 1990-1991 created a diplomatic opening, as the U.S. sought Arab coalition support and leverage to address regional conflicts.

Previous peace efforts had stalled since the Camp David Accords (1978) and the Egypt-Israel peace treaty. The PLO remained excluded from direct negotiations, and no comprehensive multilateral framework for Israeli-Palestinian talks had been established.

Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted

U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Secretary of State James Baker launched a diplomatic initiative after the Gulf War ended in February 1991. Baker made multiple trips to the Middle East to build consensus among Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, and international parties for a peace conference.

The U.S. and Soviet Union jointly sponsored the conference as co-conveners, marking rare Cold War cooperation. Invitations were extended to Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and a Palestinian delegation (formally part of a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation to circumvent PLO exclusion).

Who was involvedAI-assisted

Key participants included Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa, Jordanian and Lebanese delegations, and a Palestinian delegation led by Faisal Husseini. The U.S. and Soviet Union served as co-sponsors and mediators.

International observers and Arab League representatives attended. The conference format separated bilateral Israeli-Arab talks from multilateral discussions on regional issues like water, environment, and refugees.

TimelineAI-assisted

October 30, 1991: The Madrid Conference officially opened in Madrid, Spain. The opening session featured speeches from U.S. President Bush, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and representatives of participating nations.

Bilateral negotiations between Israel and Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Palestinian delegation began immediately after the opening ceremony. The conference continued for several days, establishing the framework for subsequent peace negotiations that would continue in Washington.

What happened

The Madrid Conference, an attempt by the international community to revive the Israeli–Palestinian peace process through negotiations, convened.

October 30 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1991Madrid Conference of 1991
  2. 2002Warren Zevon
  3. 2005Frauenkirche, Dresden
  4. 2010Jon Stewart
  5. 20132013 Mahabubnagar bus accident
  6. 2014Beechcraft Super King Air
  7. 2014European Union
  8. 2015Colectiv nightclub fire
  9. 20202020 Aegean Sea earthquake
  10. 20222022 Morbi bridge collapse
  11. 2023Rescue of Ori Megidish

Also in 1991

  • September 9TajikistanTajikistan declares independence from the Soviet Union.
  • September 11Continental Express Flight 2574Continental Express Flight 2574 crashes in Colorado County, Texas, near Eagle Lake, killing 11 passengers and three crew.
  • March 14EscondidaEscondida, one of the most productive copper mines in the world, was officially inaugurated.
  • September 12Space Shuttle DiscoveryNASA launches Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-48 to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.
  • September 17EstoniaEstonia, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations.
  • September 17LinuxThe first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet.
  • September 5Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989The current international treaty defending indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, comes into force.
  • October 201991 Uttarkashi earthquakeAn earthquake struck the Indian state of Uttarakhand, killing at least 768 people and destroying thousands of homes.

Everything we record for 1991 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Madrid Conference of 1991”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/madrid-conference-of-1991-1991-october-30, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Madrid Conference of 1991 happen?

October 30 1991 — 35 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.