Addressing the Knesset at the opening of its winter session, the prime minister devoted his speech to three issues. The first was the Persian Guy crisis, the second the events on Temple Mount and the third - absorption of Soviet immigrants. By then over 150,000 Soviet Jews arrived in Israel since the gates of the USSR opened On the Gulf crisis Mr. Shamir said that it has shown that Israel exists in a turbulent region, a violent and non-democratic one. He regretted arms shipments to Arab countries and insinuations that many Arab regimes were moderate. He repeated Israel's position that it has no aggressive intentions towards Iraq or Jordan, but if attacked, it will "not hesitate to respond in a manner we deem appropriate. He also discussed the events on Temple Mount and read to the House the Cabinet statement of 14 October and stressed that United Jerusalem is not an "occupied area. Excerpts:
When I presented the cabinet before this house on 11.6.90, I said that immigration and absorption stand at the top of the cabinet and the country's agenda. By saying this, I did not intend to push aside the obvious, that is, that the security of the country and the well being of its citizens are constantly at the top of our concerns.
And as if to remind us that those scheming against the security of Israel have not been silenced or eliminated, the despot from Baghdad attacked his small and helpless neighbor, crushed it, and immediately turned his gaze westward, to the State of Israel, in order to make it unequivocally clear that Israel is his next target. Saddam Hussein intends a fate similar to that of Kuwait for Israel. But he will not succeed - as those before him have not succeeded - in realizing his dream. His fate will be their fate and Israel will continue to be built and strengthened.
The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait is not only an inter-Arab war. It tangibly and clearly demonstrates some truths which we repeat for all those willing to listen. Israel exists in a chronically unstable environment, a region completely devoid of norms of government and democracy; a region of constant tension between different states and regimes; a region in which enormous amounts of arms are dangerously hoarded; a region in which leaders are prepared to use any means, including terrorism, poison gas and chemical weapons in order to achieve their objectives. In Middle East society, their is a crying abuse of human life, all human life, and deep and cruel hate prevails toward the Jewish state, its citizens and a refusal to accept its very existence.
The cynicism which is reflected in the declarations and statements of eastern and western politicians regarding the so called moderation of Arab regimes especially riles us. On the basis of these unsubstantiated statements, we are expected to accept additional and massive supply of sophisticated arms to those countries, to agree to negotiations with terrorist organizations and ignore incitement and hate being heard and written constantly in Arab states.
Reality repeatedly returns and disclaims those theories of moderation, proving our claims and concerns. But the lesson has not been learnt. At any rate, Israel will not pay the price of the lessons which the international community must learn from this miserable reality. We forego the achievement, let them justify us and our positions retroactively, as happened with regards to the bombing by the Israeli air force of the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981.
Our policy, in view of this reality, is clear and open to all. We have no aggressive intentions of any type, neither toward Iraq, nor toward Jordan, nor toward any other country in the region. But if anybody attempts to harm us, we will not hesitate to respond in a manner we deem appropriate, in order to protect the state and its residents. With this regard, the stability of Jordan, our neighbor to the east, is especially important. Any destabilization in the situation there, or intervention in its territory by another country, is liable to increase tension and danger to a level unacceptable to us.
At the same time, we are willing to make peace with anyone extending their hands in peace. Despite the difficulties, despite the fact that we were not satisfied with the direction of the process during the first months of the year, we have not despaired, nor ceased to emphasize the Israeli government's May 1989 peace initiative, which is based on the Camp David Accords, and which is the only logical way of achieving a peace arrangement with our neighboring countries and with the Arab residents of Israel. We are, at all times, willing to resume efforts to achieve an agreement. I re-emphasize what we have declared often in the past: There will be no negotiations with the PLO and we will not agree to the participation of terrorist organizations in negotiations, neither directly, nor indirectly. The time has come for the Arabs who live in this country to realize and know, that the PLO and the remaining terrorist organizations Will lead them astray and want to advance, at their expense and suffering, their dubious intentions.
The cruel attack on Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall during the Succot holiday was an unprecedented criminal act and a desecration. This act should have aroused condemnation and protest within the international community and within every just person. The police action came in response to the attack. The resulting loss of life must be lamented, but the fact that this was an act carried out by an incited mob, which initiated its actions without provocation and justification, must not be blurred. As is known to members of the Knesset, a commission of inquiry, which will investigate all aspects of the incident, has been appointed. Together with this, the citizens of Israel and all Jews, can only protest the voices of criticism and condemnation, in which reference to the severe violation of the Jewish people's holiest site was absent. We did not hear similar condemnation, nor did we see a convening of the Security Council when entire families were murdered at Ras Burka, or when busses carrying Israeli tourists were attacked, or when riots erupted and thousands were killed in the mosques of Mecca.
The Security Council resolution, from Friday, was one-sided and one can only assume the motives for the support it received in the present international situation.
I will read the cabinet announcement which the deputy prime minister and foreign minister has been authorized to communicate to the president of Security Council.
1. We have read the text of Security Council resolution 672 and the statement of the President of the Security Council that was communicated in connection thereto. They are totally unacceptable to us.
2. A. The Security Council decision, completely disregards the attack against Jewish worshippers on the holiday of Succot at the Western Wall, which is on the Temple Mount, the holiest site of the Jewish people, and does not condemn those who attacked the worshippers; this is a political decision with no connection to reality.
B. The State of Israel expressed its regret over the loss of life that occurred as a result of events on the Temple Mount, at a time when security forces were responsible for fulfilling their duties. Israel has also appointed an independent commission of inquiry into the chain of events, their causes and the actions of the security forces. The commission will present its conclusions and recommendations at the earliest possible date. As is known, the State of Israel ensures complete freedom of religion in the holy sites of all religions, in accordance with the law. Never, in all the history of Jerusalem, has freedom of religion for all been guaranteed as it has been since the city was unified under Israeli sovereignty in 1967, and never has the city been more open to all.
3. Jerusalem is not, in any part, "occupied territory"; it is the sovereign capital of the State of Israel. Therefore, there is no room for any involvement on the part of the United Nations in any matter relating to Jerusalem, just as the United Nations does not intervene in events, some even more severe, that occur in other countries.
4. Given the above, Israel will not receive the delegation of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
5. Israel will continue to assume responsibility, in accordance with its laws, for the safeguarding of holy places and for the security of all residents of Jerusalem, Jews and Arabs, as in all other areas it controls.
I hope that the entire Knesset supports this statement, which stands at the heart of consensus in the State of Israel.
I must add that the Security Council resolution refers to the previous resolutions 242 and 338, which are the basis of an arrangement, and further refers to what are termed "the legitimate political rights of the Palestinian people". This term has no recollection in resolutions 242 and 338, and even distorts what was stated in the Camp David Accords and which were completely ignored by the Security Council. The way of realizing resolutions 242 and 338, is through the Camp David Accords. In this regard I would like to remind our American and Egyptian friends of their celebrated obligations [upon the event of the] evacuation of Sinai.
On 20.4.82, President Reagan wrote to Prime Minister Begin, and I quote: "You, (Prime Minister Begin), President Mubarak and myself agree that the framework of the Camp David Accords is the only agreed program for solving this problem, that is, the Palestinian problem". That same day, President Mubarak sent the prime minister of Israel a letter, in which he stated, and I quote: "The framework of the Camp David Accords remains the sole obligatory document between our two countries".
Mr. Speaker,
The saga of the gathering of the diaspora continues to be realized and is being intensively resumed at present. ( ... ) Our mission, as a nation and a government, is to contend with this big challenge of absorbing the immigrants and ensuring each one a home and employment, likewise every veteran resident and young couple.
In the sphere of housing, it has been decided to sell 50,000 building plots belonging to the Israel Lands Authority, and the allocation of land for hundreds of thousands of apartments based on the Ministry of Construction and Housing plans.
At the same time, the construction of apartments throughout the country has been accelerated. In the first half of this year, the construction of 17,000 apartments has begun. This is a 70% increase over the same period last year.
Alongside these steps, the government has decided to import caravans from abroad, 15,000 so far, and to prepare sites for their placement, while using limited emergency powers.
Together with housing for immigrants, the government has begun solving the problem of the homeless. About one thousand families have already found homes and a solution will be found soon for the remaining families living in tents, which number about 560.
With regard to the sphere of employment, the government has adopted a number of decisions in order to promote investment, thereby creating employment. The intention of the decisions is to make it easier for investors to raise funds in the capital markets in Israel and abroad, to reduce the cost of labor and to ease wage setting mechanisms.
There are already signs of recovery in the sphere of employment.
[But] In addition to the increase in the number of employed, the number of unemployed will probably increase. We will have to invest direct assistance for creating employment in the interim period, until the immigrants are absorbed in real employment in the business sector.
In the meantime, the absorption ministry continues to receive immigrants through the method of direct absorption with a large degree of success. About half of the immigrants choose to live in the center of the country, about a third in the north, 5% in the south and 10% in Jerusalem. It has been decided to give priority to the periphery through incentives, in order to disperse the population south and north, especially toward development towns, and to limit the flow to the center of the country.
This mass immigration and its absorption in Israel must be the objective of the entire Jewish people. We expect Jews in the diaspora to assist all they can in achieving the success of this historical project.
With the Lord's help, our generation will live to see the gathering of the majority of the Jewish people in the land of our fathers, in a developing and thriving Eretz Yisrael.