Speaking to the delegates of the fourth annual Hadassah-International convention in Jerusalem on Holocaust Memorial Day, the prime minister once again outlined his peace plan and said that Israel was consulting with friendly governments seeking international support for the plan. Text:
Madam Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you know, a very special day in the calendar of the Jewish people has started. Here in Israel, life stands still as we pause to pay tribute to the memory of six million of our brothers and sisters who were destroyed in World War II, in the most terrible evil ever perpetrated by man against mankind.
It is, perhaps, appropriate that on this day we should be meeting here in Jerusalem, the capital city of the reborn Jewish State, the symbol of our sovereignty, the heart and soul of the entire Jewish people, wherever they live, and we proclaim, loud and clear: The Jewish people triumphed over the evil; we have returned to our homeland and will never be separated from it again: Jerusalem is united and will never be divided again.
During that war even the noble calling of medicine was used for the evil designs of the devil. The so-called medical experiments to which thousands were subjected, were the worst manifestation of the collapse of civilization at that time. Those who were guilty of these foul deeds were not some uneducated, stupid guards or train drivers. They were the intellectuals who know perfectly well what they were doing and, therefore, their crime is all the more abhorrent.
We derive a special satisfaction from the impressive advances of medicine in our country - in the field of diagnosis and treatment; research and the discovery of treatment for hitherto incurable diseases. Our medical optics and medical electronics are in use in many countries, in many hospitals where they contribute to the great humanitarian task of healing the sick without distinction of race, color or creed.
The Hadassah Medical Center and the various institutions are, of course, a major factor in all this and we are grateful to all of you for your invaluable support.
Dear friends,
Israel is redoubling its efforts to advance the peace process and bring about an end to belligerency and hostility with its Arab neighbors. We are not doing it out of weakness, not is peace just another option for us. We have been consistent in our search for peace because we believe that peace is the one and only viable, positive and lasting option. If any of our neighbors think they can extract concessions from us by means of violence; riots and stone-throwing, they are in for a disappointment. Because when we say peace, we mean real, lasting peace with security, peace that is desired equally by both sides.
Our experience and achievements in medicine, as well as in several other endeavors, would be available to any of our neighbors who would choose to benefit from what we have to offer: This is one more reason why we should move from the continuing state of war towards peace, which is our people's dearest wish. We took the initiative for peace in 1977 and the result was the Camp David Accords and the peace treaty with Egypt, the leading Arab country.
We are doing so again now with our four-point plan that we have put to the Arab countries and to the Palestinian Arabs who live under our rule.
our plan was received positively by the U.S. Administration during my visit to Washington three weeks ago.
It comprises four parts. In brief they are:
1. A call to the Arab states in our region to end the 40-year state of war with us.
2. A decision to reconvene the three participants in the Camp David Accords, that is Egypt, Israel and the U.S., in order to assess the status of the agreements and to consider ways of deepening the peace between us and Egypt.
3. A conference of the leading economic countries in the West to find ways of providing an international fund of approximately $2 billion for the purpose of rehousing the Arab refugees in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, so that the refugee camps can be closed once and for all.
4. Free democratic elections to be held in Judea, Samaria and Gaza to choose a leadership that will negotiate with us a two-stage. arrangement for the future of the Palestinian Arabs. The first stage will be for an interim period of five years, during which the Arabs will take responsibility for all their own internal affairs. After this five-year experience of coexistence, negotiations will commence for the permanent settlement of the dispute between us and the Palestinians Arabs.
The end result should be a solution that is agreed [to] by all sides. We call on the Arab inhabitants of Judea, Samaria and Gaza to respond positively and come to the negotiating table. A new path leading to a better future for them and for us is now open to them.
We are making all efforts to advance this initiative and are presently consulting with many friendly governments, including the governments of the countries from which you come. We call for understanding and international support of our peace plan.
At the same time, the PLO and its sympathizers are trying to destroy the chances for peace. Arafat and his associates continue to spread their lies and propaganda and they are now engaged in an attempt to divide the Jewish people on the issue of peace in the Middle East. It is crucial for every Jew in the world to understand the facts, and to fight back these attempts. Our strength lies in our unity. Any division in the Jewish people means the weakening of the State of Israel. While unity of the Jewish people helps to create a strong Israel that can stand up to every foe.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for coming to Israel and to Jerusalem. I thank you for your efforts on behalf of Hadassah, and trust you will continue and expand your activities.
We believe that we are at the dawn of a new era of peace. It may still take time to materialize and then be carried into effect. But we feel confident that we are on the right road and are determined to persevere until we achieve the lofty goal for which we all strive. Let us hope that in the not too distant future, we shall, God willing, achieve a turning-point towards peaceful coexistence between Israel and the Arab world.