On 7 August the Saudi Crown Prince Fahd was interviewed on Riyadh radio and announced a Saudi peace initiative designed to replace the Camp David accords. The plan consisted of eight points, among them an Israeli withdrawal from all Arab territories taken in the Six Day War, including East Jerusalem; the dismantling of Israelisettlements in the territories; freedom of worship for all religions in the holy shrines to be assured; reaffirmation of the rights of the Palestinians to be repatriated or compensated, a brief transition period under United Nations auspices for the West Bank and Gaza; the creation of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital; the states of the region should be able to live in peace and that the U.N. should guarantee the above mentioned principles. In his speech Mr. Shamir reacted to the plan, which some observers saw as meaning to be an indirect recognition of Israel. Mr. Shamir did not see the plan in this light. Text:
Mr. Chairman, the International President of B'nai Brith, members of B'nai Brith International Leadership, ladies and gentlemen,
I welcome you, on behalf of the government of Israel, to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Am Israel, Eretz Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael.
Empires, states and nations have come and gone, embassies were established in Jerusalem and subsequently removed, but the eternity of the Jewish people and its unbreakable bond with Yerushalayim have remained constant. B'nai Brith should be congratulated for having given concrete expression to this great link by establishing its world center in United Jerusalem. Your act strengthens the message which will be inevitably registered throughout the world. The message is simple: the Jewish people and Jerusalem cannot be separated. The greater the effort to separate between the two, the stronger will be the ties between them.
Friends, ladies and gentlemen,
The latest attempt on Jerusalem was launched by Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia in an interview on August 7. This leader of a fanatic theocracy, who poses at times as a moderate figure, proposed that Israel withdraw to the June '67 lines and that a P.L.O. state be set up with Jerusalem as its capital. This plan could just as well have been presented by Yasser Arafat. Because when you remove the moderate camouflage from it, you will discover that it is almost identical with proposals that the P.L.O. published in Europe last year. Indeed, Arafat's deputy openly declared his support for the Saudi so-called peace plan.
We realize that Saudi Arabia has oil and petrodollars that are needed by many governments. But we are determined to resist the efforts made by many of those who are dependent on the Saudis, to paint them with colours that are contrary to the truth. We do this because the Saudi rulers have decided to use their wealth in support of our worst enemies. They are consistently trying to blackmail many governments to break their relations with Israel. They are buying influence so as to discredit Israel and undermine its legitimacy. At the same time, they pose as supporters of the western democracies against communism and Soviet influence. They try to create the impression that they support a fair solution to the Arab-Israel problem.
I call on you and on all the friends of Israel to help us unmask the truth of Saudi moderation and to expose their dangerous designs. They cannot be relied upon to defend the cause of freedom and democracy. They cannot be entrusted with sophisticated American arms. They cannot be trusted not to deliver equipment and intelligence to our most dangerous enemies. Israel cannot be expected to acquiesce with the delivery of equipment to Saudi Arabia that will make it and its defences completely transparent.
We have no doubt that an independent Lebanon that is free of Syrian and terrorist occupation will live in peace with Israel. The present cessation of hostile activities on the Lebanese border, which was achieved through American involvement, has not secured the peace we hope to see there. It is not even a first step in that direction.
We cannot disregard the fact that lethal arms are continuously flowing to the terrorists from the Soviet Union and its clients Syria and Libya. Even the so-called moderate Saudis are supplying arms, in addition to large sums of money to these organizations.
US-Israel
On this background it seems paradoxical that the US government is withholding vital military equipment from Israel that is exposed to the constant danger of attack. This development is so contrary to the character of relations between the US and Israel and between the peoples of America and Israel, that we must believe it will very soon pass without leaving any painful scars behind it.
We should not forget that in the context of the peace process with Egypt, we have undertaken heavy security risks. We did this because we believe that in case of emergency, we can rely on America. What kind of assistance can we expect in an emergency? We all know what it is. Not American soldiers, because we do not want anyone to fight our wars. But we do need the equipment that our soldiers have demonstrated they are capable of using when necessary. When the supply of this kind of assistance might seem jeopardized, this may make the undertaking of agreements much more hazardous. This concern is shared by the entire people in Israel and by all shades of political persuasion. As I said earlier, we all hope that this experience will quickly pass.
PLO
It is vital that our friends fully understand what is the PLO and its relationship to the so-called Palestinian problem. Israel's policy in this regard is based on the government's platform and on its undertakings in the Camp David Agreement.
- We see coexistence with the Palestinian Arabs under conditions of mutual respect and understanding.
- PLO is a pan-Arab terrorist organization and by virtue of its own raison d'etre,
it is disqualified as a partner to negotiations.
- The Palestinians have a homeland in Jordan. It is situated on Palestinian territory
and the majority of its population is Palestinian. There is no justification for a second Palestinian Arab state, except as a base against Israel's existence. We recognize the need to solve the problem of the 1.2 million Arabs in Judea,
Samaria and Gaza districts. The autonomy plan is designed to meet their requirements to the maximum extent, while ensuring Israel's vital security needs.
1967 Lines
We are faced with a certain new fashion. Many of those who are counselling us to go back to the vulnerable lines of 1967 solemnly declare that they recognize Israel's right to existence and security. With all due respect, it is not sufficient to pay lip service to Israel's right to exist. Whoever truly supports our existence and well-being should also be concerned with the conditions that can enable this existence in security and peace.
During the twelve days that Israel's Northern region was exposed to a barrage of shells and rockets, our people learned a remarkable lesson in the doctrine of security. Today everyone knows that if our army will not be placed in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, all of Israel's towns and villages, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and our centers of population will be exposed to the danger of terrorist shells and rockets, just as were Kiryat Shmona and Nahariya. This is the real meaning of a return to the 1967 lines and of the creation of a Palestinian state in those parts of Eretz Yisrael which we are asked to evacuate. The Jewish state wants to live and therefore it will reject such solutions imposed by enemies or even proposed by friends.
We have no interest in war. We want peace and peaceful solutions. We therefore continue to hope that the negotiations which will resume shortly with the leaders of Egypt and the US will result in agreements that will ensure peace and security to our country.
Israel and World Jewry
The support of our position by Jews all over the world, including moral support, is of vital importance to us. Permit me to add: Lack of such support and even one voice of public criticism by fellow-Jews against Israel, causes us untold damage. When such a negative voice is heard, it immediately encourages our adversaries and enemies who hurl at us the challenge "Even Jewish leaders..." etc. etc. I have personally heard this charge many a time.
The name "B'nai B'rith" carries within it a certain commitment, in addition to the quality and tradition of its leadership. I am sure that this organization will do everything to prevent such harmful activities and to preserve Jewish unity in defense of what is most important and vital.
Israel's Security
As always, Israel's paramount priority is security. We are preoccupied with security first of all to protect the lives of our citizens and defend the state. Furthermore, there can be no hope for progress and for political action of any kind in our region unless it is founded solidly on a secure Israel.
We must register a warning with our friends. Double standards and cynicism have a tendency to boomerang. They may be convenient in the short run. But like a contagious disease, they spread and, in the long run, they bring disaster.
Israel's action against the Osirak nuclear installation near Baghdad was an act of self-defence in the fullest sense of the word. The official reaction was one of universal criticism, if not condemnation. Unofficially, many of our representatives abroad were told that the action was justified and that no responsible government would have acted otherwise. Beyond that, our action has exposed serious weaknesses in the system of international safeguards against nuclear proliferation. Another positive result will hopefully be a review and overhaul of this system. We acted because we had to and because there was no other way to remove this mortal danger to our existence.
Lebanon
The wave of indignation that swept international public opinion in the wake of our air action against the PLO headquarters in Beirut is difficult to understand. After all, we have a certain record of conduct in warfare. We have acted only against military targets. We never acted against civilians, and even during a situation of active warfare. How could anyone with any measure of objectivity suspect Israel of deliberately hitting civilians?
In a long history of hostilities imposed on us by our neighbours, we have experienced many cases of inhuman and barbaric treatment. The Arab terrorists of the PLO have made a practice of attacking only non-combatant civilians. Their ideology sanctions this attitude because it calls for the elimination of Israel not only politically but demographically as well.
After more than a year of continuous failure in penetrating Israel's northern borders, the terrorists sought new ways of hitting Israeli targets. Our preventive measures against the PLO inside Lebanon were hurting them. With the help of Libya and the Soviet Union, they acquired long-rang artillery and rocket-launchers. From behind the sanctuary of the areas patrolled by the UN forces, they shelled our northern region, picking especially on the towns of Nahariya and Kiryat Shmona. We were lucky that our casualties were relatively low. But after ten days, the need for radical action became imperative. The headquarters where the planning and direction of these attacks were carried out in a safe haven in Beirut had to be eliminated. They were deliberately installed in the city of Beirut, in the PLO enclave, which is controlled exclusively by the terrorist organizations. The buildings housing these organizations are occupied by the members of the organizations and their families. No one else is allowed into the buildings and their vicinity.
As for the tragic state of the Lebanese people, Israel has only one desire. We want to see a free Lebanon. We want to see the last Syrian soldier removed from Lebanese soil. We want to see the terrorists disarmed and forced to respect Lebanese laws and sovereignty. We want peace with our Lebanese neighbours.
My friends,
Israel's democracy has passed another phase and thank God our system is alive and well. Our government is the expression of the will of the people. Our platform was approved by a considerable majority of the people and therefore our policies represent the wishes of the people of Israel. This is what democracy is all about and we are very proud that it is so.
Recently, there was some propaganda whose aim is to besmirch Israel and present a twisted picture of it. It is said that ultra-nationalism and clericalism are taking over. Nothing is further from the truth. Israel was, remains and will continue to be a democratic, free country that jealously safeguards the rights and privileges of its citizens. Its so-called ultra-nationalism is an expression of its effort to live in peace on its land and to safeguard its independence and security.
Dear friends,
This Shabbat is known in Jewish tradition as "Shabbat Nachamu". After a period of remembrance and mourning over the destruction, we go back to the prophet Yishaayahu's famous words, "Nachamu, nachamu ami". After the suffering and the struggle, the comfort and the rehabilitation will inevitably come. These words carry the age-old Jewish message of optimism, of hope and of a better future. Our forefathers suffered together and swore never to forget Jerusalem and their ties with it. This unity of Am Yisrael is the bedrock on which Jewish continuity isfounded. It is this great unity that brought you here today. Let us all work together to protect it, to strengthen it and to deepen it. I wish you success in your deliberations. Thank you.