Shortly after Sadat made his announcement that he was willing to come to Jerusalem, six urgent motions for the agenda were tabled in the Knesset, all dealing with the need for Israel to invite Sadat. In his statement Mr. Begin informed the House that after the debate, he was going to issue an official invitation to Sadat to come to Jerusalem. He also outlined Israel's negotiating position, no prior conditions and everything is negotiable. Each side can raise any issue it will see fit. The Knesset overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling on the government to invite President Sadat. Text of Mr. Begin's statement follows:
Madame Chairwoman, members of the Knesset,
This is a fitting day to hold this debate: Today we are communing with the immortal memory of David Ben-Gurion, who declared our independence and raised the flag of Israel among the nations. He was not only the first Prime Minister of Israel, but the first of the six of them to direct an appeal to the surrounding Arab rulers and tell them: I am ready to meet with you at any time and in any place in order to speak peace with us.
After him this appeal was uttered by the late Prime Minister Sharett and the late Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, and -may they enjoy long life - Prime Minister Golda Meir and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and I too, have uttered such an appeal. But, as I noted, David Ben-Gurion was the first Israel Prime Minister to make such an appeal. Hence, Madame Chairwoman, we proposed - and our suggestion was accepted - that this important debate be held on the day of communion with him.
Madame Chairwoman, I shall begin at the end. This evening, on the conclusion of the debate in the Knesset, and the will of the house having found clear and salient expression in the remarks of the representatives of the factions - both those supporting the government and those serving in the opposition - I shall convey to the Ambassador of the United States, my friend Mr. Lewis, a letter, and I shall request that he transmit it without delay to the President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat. I spoke with Ambassador Lewis this morning, and I requested that he ask his counterpart in Cairo whether we could avail ourselves of their assistance in order to convey such a message, as was explicitly requested yesterday evening by President Sadat. Mr. Lewis's reply was warm and cordial: He promised me to convey any message, any letter, any appeal immediately upon receiving it.
I should like to thank him and his counterpart in Cairo for the assistance they gave us and are ready to give us in getting my letter to President Sadat.
We expect that my message will be transmitted to him this evening, and I can therefore inform the house that we shall make it public tomorrow. It would not be polite to make the letter public before it reaches the addressee. But, even with the special arrangements involved, it is a reasonable assumption that we shall make the letter public tomorrow morning, after President Sadat has received it.
I also wrote a personal message today to the President of the United States, Mr. Carter, in order to inform him of the recent development between Egypt and Israel, and also to thank him for the assistance extended us by the two American Ambassadors in Israel and in Cairo to fulfill President Sadat's request to the effect that I expect an official invitation.'
If the Egyptian President accepts my invitation - which, after the dignified debate in the Knesset I may term our invitation - to come to Jerusalem, to visit our country and also to come to the Knesset - in that event, Madame Chairwoman, the House Committee will have to pass another resolution in order to enable the President to speak from this rostrum. The House Committee adopted three resolutions, in 1964, 1966 and 1970, in connection with the appearance of foreign, statesmen from this rostrum. The great rule is that only Knesset members speak from this rostrum - as well as Ministers who are not Knesset members - and that is a just and fitting rule. But three times we made exceptions, the agreed decision being that foreign heads of State will be permitted to extend their greetings from the Knesset rostrum. We can, therefore, base ourselves upon that decision but it is not complete.
It states: 'Their greetings' - and this time, if President Sadat does visit us, it is not just a question of greetings, but a speech in which the President of Egypt will address the Israel House of Representatives. And therefore, if we receive an affirmative reply from Cairo, from President Sadat, I shall so inform the speaker, and I shall ask that an urgent session of the House Committee be convened, and I shall propose that it adopt an additional resolution to the effect that: 'The House Committee resolves that the President of Egypt will. be able to deliver an address from the Knesset rostrum.'
President Sadat also requested to meet with all the members of the Knesset, of all parties. We agree to this request, and we shall make all the required arrangements to enable him to meet with all parties without exception -both those supporting the government and those serving in the parliamentary opposition.
With your concurrence, members of the Knesset, I have invited the President of Egypt to visit us, to deliver his address, to meet the members of the house. But I should like to say, following upon the interview I gave the American media yesterday evening, that this invitation does not constitute any attempt to drive a wedge between the Arab states. We have no such intention. I hereby state that we are prepared to conduct negotiations for the achievement of peace in the Middle East and the signature of peace treaties with all our neighbours, with each and every one of them. But I invited the President of Egypt - I think it was only natural. It is the largest of the Arab states. In our conviction there is no basis for the conflict between Egypt and ourselves. The conflict has been tragic, superfluous, prolonged, and this was our appeal. But from this rostrum I beg to invite the President of Syria, Mr. Assad, King Hussein and President Sarkis to come to us and open negotiations on peace treaties.
(In reply to an interjection from Mr. Meir Wilner. M.K.): Although you have interrupted me, I hope that, when President Sadat stands here, you will not interrupt him.
We are prepared to conduct fundamental and serious talks with authoritative representatives of the Arabs of the Land of Israel, with true spokesmen of the Arabs of the Land of Israel in order to lay the foundation, in these talks, for living together, for an attitude of mutual respect, for social and economic progress, for human freedom, for equality of rights, for peace between ourselves and the entire Arab world in Israel and abroad.
I am happy to state that both President Sadat and Israel's spokesman agreed that if this visit takes place it will be held without any prior conditions from any side. President Sadat and I have positions. When we sit down at one table, we shall express them, and we shall speak frankly, as befits representatives of nations that have made great and important contributions to the civilization of mankind, and who know that our peoples hope and pray for peace. But no prior conditions.
But now is the time to explain the meaning of this concept. Each side has positions. If one side announced: "I shall come to Jerusalem", or "I shall come to Geneva", or "I will agree to receive you in Jerusalem", or "meet you in Geneva on condition that you announce in advance that you identify with my position, accept my view" - this would be a prior condition. I am happy that President Sadat did not make such a condition. Nor did I make it. When he comes we shall discuss the question affecting the two peoples and, I believe, we shall speak peace to one another.
I would also request that this meeting, when it takes place, shall not be accompanied by any threats. Even yesterday President Sadat said over American television: "I am ready to go to the Knesset. I hope we shall get a settlement, because the alternative to a settlement would be terrible, terrible." I beg to state that we have no alternative to peace. We want peace, true peace, with all our heart and soul, permanent peace that will find expression in peace treaties, and we shall live together. There is no need - and here I address President Sadat directly - to accompany the holding of this meeting with any threats. We have no need for that.
Of course we must keep our eyes open, and so we do, but without threats. We do not threaten Egypt and will not threaten her and we ask the President of Egypt not to threaten us. Let us meet and start this important dialogue between ourselves and the Egyptian President, between ourselves and the Arab people, on the achievement of permanent peace in the region.
Madame Chairwoman. After the debate that has taken place in the Knesset, I thank the members of the, Knesset, the parties of the coalition and of the opposition, on the dignified statements they have made today from this rostrum. I can say, on behalf of all the house of Israel, that if President Sadat decides to respond to my invitation and come to Jerusalem, to visit our country, to meet the members of the Knesset, he will be received with respect and cordiality, as befits the head of a neighbouring state with which we wish to live in peace. I propose, Madame Chairwoman, to refer all six motions to the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.