An Arab-Israeli peace conference convened in Madrid, Spain, beginning on 30 October 1991 at the invitation of the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in an attempt by U.S. secretary of state James Baker to capitalize on changes in the Middle East strategic landscape resulting from the end of the first Persian Gulf War (1991). The conference was an important step on the road to peace in that it involved direct, bilateral, public, and official peace negotiations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
See also Arab-Israeli Conflict.
Historical Dictionary of Israel. Bernard Reich David H. Goldberg. Edited by Jon Woronoff..