In the course of a visit to the Allenby Bridge on the Jordan River, the border station between the West Bank and Jordan, Prime Minister Rabin once again called on the Palestinian Arabs in the territories to accept Israel's offer of an interim arrangement. He called on both the Palestinians and the leaders of the Arab countries not to miss the present opportunity of direct talks between them and Israel under the Madrid conference formula. Excerpts:
I was born over seventy years ago in Jerusalem, I have lived almost my entire life here, I spent five years in Washington in the capacity of Israeli ambassador, and I certainly would like to see an end to the bloodshed and wars and casualties on both sides.
To the Palestinians in the territories, we offer: accept the interim arrangement - not as a final arrangement - we are prepared to transfer to you the administration over your lives. We are willing that most of the issues, or almost all of them, concerning all aspects of your daily lives, be administered by yourselves. Take in your hands all the functions of the civil administration. However, we do not say that this will be the permanent solution. We must take care of the Israeli residents, the Jewish settlements, and the security of the state - as long as no peace arrangement is agreed upon with the neighboring Arab states.
It is clear that I am not including Egypt in this appeal, since we have been living in peace with them for the past 13-1/2 years, and I am certain that this peace contributed not only to Israel but it has also provided Egypt with the capability of development and progress in all domains of life. Therefore, the keys for peace are in our hands and yours. We came with proposals to implement [this purpose].
In which stages? - I am not saying that the Palestinian delegation has to accept everything. [Everything is] open to negotiations, however two conditions should be maintained:
In the first stage: an interim arrangement which will enable the Palestinians to administer their lives independently.
In the second stage: negotiations on the final arrangement.
The interim arrangement is for five years, and beginning the third year, we will commence negotiations on the final arrangement based on UN Resolutions 242 and 338. We hope that this opportunity will be materialized. Unfortunately, many opportunities towards the solution of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians have been missed. I believe that this time the opportunity will not be missed. Thus, we will continue with the negotiations with the Palestinian delegation in order to reach a solution on the basis of the invitation letter to the Madrid conference. We will also continue to improve the conditions of life of the population wherever possible - [one such way] is the opening of this terminal to ease the passage to and from Jordan. It is my sincere hope that this bridge and terminal will become a bridge of peace. (...)
Q: What message would you like to relay to King Hussein and to the leaders of Arab countries at this opportunity?
A: I would like to transmit a simple message. There have been for more than a year direct negotiations between Israel and the Arab states and the Palestinians in the territories. This opportunity should not be missed and I believe this is a special opportunity for the Arab states, for the Palestinians in the territories, to achieve a solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict and change the face of the Middle East.
I would relay a very simple message: take advantage of the opportunity. We learned that opportunities have been missed in the past. Therefore it is not advisable for the sides to miss further opportunities.