On 13 April the cabinet authorized the Israeli negotiating team, led by the Prime Minister, to clarify to President Carter how far Israel was willing to go in the autonomy talks. Mr. Begin explained that he had no intention of going beyond the Camp David agreements. In the press conference he alluded to the U.S. request that Israel withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon in the wake of the attack on Misgav Am. Mr. Begin also addressed the issue of Jerusalem. Text:
Ladies and gentlemen, I and my colleagues and friends, the foreign minister and the minister of interior, who heads the negotiating team on autonomy for the inhabitants in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza district, and our advisers, are leaving now for the U.S. to hold talks, at the invitation of President Carter, with the president and his advisers. We are for accelerating the talks about the autonomy so that we can meet the goal which was promised in the joint letter of President Sadat and myself to President Carter on 26 March of last year. As far as the venue of the talks is concerned, the government yesterday empowered the Israeli delegation to decide and to clarify with President Carter the question of where those talks should take place, and this is what we are going to do during the next two days in Washington.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, do we understand from your words that Israel is not prepared to go beyond the Camp David agreements in these autonomy negotiations?
A: Yes, of course, why should we go beyond? Why should anybody ask to go beyond an international agreement which was signed by President Sadat on behalf of Egypt, by me on behalf of Israel, and, as a witness, by the president of the United States. Agreements should be carried out. This is the golden rule in relations between nations in international law and no side should even ask to go beyond, or to deviate from or to contradict the Camp David agreement. It should be carried out in its part concerning autonomy as it was carried out in the second part concerning the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
Q: This then, would be your answer, for instance, if you are asked about the role of East Jerusalem Arabs in the autonomy scheme or to freeze settlements?
A: Well, all things should be looked at from the point of view of the Camp David agreement. Jerusalem is not mentioned at all in the Camp David. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, an indivisible city. Everybody has a free access to the holy shrines of all religions. It is guaranteed by law forever. President Carter just a few weeks ago said that Jerusalem should be undivided and there should be free access to the holy shrines from all religions. This is exactly the situation which prevails now in Jerusalem and so it should be in the future.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, I understand that you agreed to a suspension of settlements at one point during the pre-March 26 agreement. Would you be willing to establish a temporary freeze on settlement projects in order to keep the issue from disrupting your negotiations?
A: There has never been a freeze. The commitment was that for a period of negotiations for the peace treaty with Egypt, as we established in the Camp David agreement, we will not establish new settlements - but we shall strengthen, as we said, existing settlements and also have NAHAL military outposts. That date passed on 17 December, after three months exactly. Well, I suppose this is what we could have done, and did, but we cannot do it any more because as far as living in our land and settling in this land, it is our perfect, inalienable right, our duty and also an integral part of our national security.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, do you see any reason why Israel should send a team to the Olympics in Moscow?
A: I expressed my personal opinion that the Olympic Committee of Israel should decide not to participate in the games in Moscow because in my opinion there cannot be, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a situation of "business as usual" from the international point of view. But the decision lies with the Olympic Committee, and I do hope it will take a decision which would be appropriate under the international situation. When we come back from Washington, perhaps we shall meet again with a delegation of the Olympic Committee, as I did several months ago, and express to them my opinion.
Q: Mr. Begin, your trip to Washington comes. after the terrorist attack on Misgav-Am, and tension on the border, with Israeli troops crossing the border. What is Israel's position on the situation in South Lebanon?
A: The situation in South Lebanon is very tragic. There are attacks on civilians and there were also clashes with UNIFIL, and to our great regret a young boy and a man were killed. We, of course, respect the territorial integrity of Lebanon and we want also to respect the international force, as we stated time and again. However, we must not forget what happened at Misgav-Am and those murderers who killed a little boy, a valiant farmer and a courageous soldier, came from Lebanese territory. And therefore, we had to undertake measures of security and to be very careful and be on our guard. We are.
Q: Sir, did the White House or the State Department urge Israel to get its troops out of South Lebanon before your trip to Washington?
A: I didn't get any demand from the White House, as you put it, but I do know that there were contacts between representatives of the United States and our government on this issue and we said it was a temporary measure to be careful after that horrible event in Misgav-Am and that we shall withdraw our forces - as we did already.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, is there room for concern in Israel because the American position is closer to the Egyptian position in the unsettled issues?
A: Well, there is always room for concern. We received a statement from the president of the United States that no decisions were taken in the talks between him and President Sadat. They are awaiting us and only after the talks with us in Washington might we be able to say that there is a basis for such a conclusion. We have an explicit statement that the talks between President Carter and President Sadat, that is before the holding of talks with us, no decisions were taken.