The signing of the Interim Agreement was seen as a major achievement not
only for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, but also for President
Clinton, King Hussein and President Mubarak. Both King Hussein and President
Mubarak attended the ceremony as well as representatives of the Russian
Republic and Norway. Following are the addresses of Prime Minister Rabin and
Foreign Minister Peres (in full) and excerpts from addresses of Chairman
Arafat and President Clinton. All noted the historic significance of the
event and expressed profound hopes that it would lead to a true
Israel-Palestinian peace.
Prime Minister Rabin:
The President of the United States, the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan, the President of Egypt, the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority,
Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Now, after a long series of formal, festive statements, take a look at
this stage. The King of Jordan, the President of Egypt, Chairman Arafat and
us, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Israel, on one platform.
Please take a good, hard look. The sight you see before you at this moment
was impossible, was fantastic, just two or three years ago. Only poets
dreamed of it; and, to our great pain, soldiers and civilians went to their
deaths to make this moment possible.
Here we stand before you, men whom fate and history have sent on a mission
of peace: to end, once and for all, one hundred years of bloodshed.
Our dream is also your dream. King Hussein, President Mubarak, Chairman
Arafat, all the others and above all the President, Bill Clinton - a
president working in the service of peace - we all love the same children,
weep the same tears, hate the same enmity and pray for reconciliation. Peace
has no borders.
Yes, I know: our speeches are already repeating themselves. Perhaps this
picture has already become routine. The handshakes no longer set your pulse
racing; your loving hearts no longer pound with emotion, as they did then.
We've begun to get used to each other. We're like old acquaintances. I can
tell you about all about Arafat's quirks. He can tell you all about mine. We
have matured in the two years since we first shook hands here, the handshake
that was the sign and symbol of the start of reconciliation. Today we are
more sober. We are gladdened by the potential for reconciliation but are
also wary of the dangers that lurk on every side. The enemies of yesterday
share a common enemy today: the terrorism that sows death in our homes and
on the buses that ply the streets. The sounds of celebration here cannot
drown out the cries of innocent citizens who traveled those buses to their
deaths. And your eyes shining here cannot erase for a single moment the
sight of the lifeless eyes of the students who were going to their classes
and the housewives who were on their way to market when hatred struck them
down. We are pained by their deaths and remember them with love.
I want to say to you, Chairman Arafat: Do not let the land flowing with milk
and honey become a land flowing with blood and tears. Don't let it happen.
If all the partners to peace-making do not unite against the evil angels of
death by terrorism, all that will remain of this ceremony are color
snapshots, empty mementos. Rivers of hatred will overflow again - and swamp
the Middle East. We, Gentlemen, will not permit terrorism to defeat peace.
We will not allow it. If we do not have partners in this bitter,
difficult war, we will fight it alone. We know how to fight. We know how to
win. My brother Jews: Thousands of years of exile and the dream of
generations have returned us to our historic home in the Land of Israel, the
Land of the Prophets.
Etched on every vineyard, every field, every olive tree, every flower is the
deep imprint of Jewish history, of the Book of Books that we have bequeathed
to the entire world, of the values of morality and justice.
Every place in the Land of the Prophets, every name is an integral part of
our heritage of thousands of years, of the Divine Promise to us and to our
descendants. Here is where we were born. Here is where we created a nation.
Here we forged a haven for the persecuted and built a model democratic
state.
But we are not alone here on this soil, in this land. And so we are sharing
this good earth today with the Palestinian people - in order to choose life.
Starting today, an agreement on paper will be translated into reality on the
ground. We are not retreating. We are not leaving. We are yielding - and we
are doing so for the sake of peace.
Our neighbors, the Palestinian people: We who have seen you in your misery
and poverty for generations, we who have killed and have been killed, are
walking beside you now toward a common future and we want you as good
neighbors.
Ladies and Gentlemen: This week the Jewish people in its thousands of places
of dispersion has marked the New Year and in their holiday prayers, Jews
everywhere are saying:
"May we be remembered and inscribed before You in the Book of Life and of
blessing and peace and prosperity, of deliverance and comfort and
opportunity, we and all Your People, the House of Israel, for a good life
and peace."
These are my wishes to all the Jewish people. These are my wishes to all the
citizens of Israel: a good life and peace. These are also our wishes to our
neighbors and to all the world's peoples: a good life and peace.
Ladies and Gentlemen: Look at us again. Look at this scene on the stage,
here in the White House. You are not excited anymore. You have grown
accustomed to it. But in order for peace to be complete, in order for this
picture to be complete and for the Middle East to become a jewel in the
world's crown, it still lacks two people: the President of Syria and the
President of Lebanon. I call upon them to come and join us, to come to the
platform of peace.
Ladies and Gentlemen: If and when this happens, we will again ask President
Clinton to be our gracious host; we will again ask King Hussein, President
Mubarak, Chairman Arafat and all the others to return here, to be partners
in the glorious picture of all the peoples of the Middle East dwelling in
security.
Ladies and Gentlemen: Let me extend my wish, to all of us, that we may meet
here again - and soon. Happy New Year.
President Clinton:
The agreement that now will be signed means that Israel's mothers and
fathers need no longer worry that their sons will face the dangers of
patrolling Nablus or confronting the hostile streets of Ramallah. And it
means that Palestinians will be able to decide for themselves what their
schools teach, how their houses should be built and who they will choose to
govern...
Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Chairman, you are showing that it is not by
weapons but by will and by word that dreams best become reality. Your
achievement shines as an inspiration to others all around this world who
seek to overcome their own conflicts and to secure for themselves the
blessings of peace.
Chapter by chapter Jews and Arabs are writing a new history for their
ancient lands. Camp David, the declaration of principles signed here two
years ago, the peace last year between Jordan and Israel: with each of these
the truth of this book has become clear to the world as courageous leaders
step beyond the bounds of convention.
They build for their peoples a new world of hope and peace. Now, as this new
chapter begins, it is fitting that we are joined by so many from the camp of
peace.
Chairman Yasir Arafat:
We are gathered today under the sponsorship of President Clinton, who has
generously offered to host the signing of this agreement.
It has been two years since we met at the White House to sign the
Declaration of Principles, to which we and our Israeli partners have agreed
to in Oslo. We meet again today to make new headway in giving hope to this
historic process, the process of realizing a credible peace, reconciliation
and coexistence between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples and the peace of
the brave, which we achieved on Egyptian land at Taba, under President
Mubarak's auspices.
A significant portion of Palestinian national rights reverts today to the
Palestinian people through their control of the cities, villages and
populated areas. Recovery of this portion is a step in the implementation of
the interim agreement, which we are gathered here to witness its signing.
There is also a step which paves the way to free and democratic Palestinian
elections, capping thereby the political components required for the
establishment of an independent Palestinian national entity on the
Palestinian territories....
The permanent status negotiations will deal with such issues as settlements,
the delineation of the borders, the rights of Palestinian refugees as
determined by the international legitimacy and the fundamental issue
concerning the status of Jerusalem, which our people, irrespective of their
faith - Moslems, Christians or Jews - consider Jerusalem to be the heart and
soul of their entity and the center of their cultural, spiritual and
economic life.
I would say that the sanctity of Jerusalem for us all dictates that we make
it the joint cornerstone and the capital of peace between the Palestinian
and the Israeli peoples inasmuch as it is a beacon for believers all over
the world.
We urge you all to recognize the importance of this historic interim step
that demonstrates the irreversibility of the peace process. Its distinct
significance lies in the verdict passed by history, the international
community and human civilization at the turn of the century; that a just and
comprehensive peace be established on this sacred land whereby the Israeli
and Palestinian peoples would coexist on the basis of mutual recognition of
the rights, while enjoying equality and self-determination without
occupation or repeated wars and without terrorism.
At this point, I must tell our Israeli partners, from this solemn rostrum
and in the presence of our brethren and friends who have come here from the
region and from all of the world, particularly those who contributed to the
realization of this agreement, that our past experience underscores the need
to be more credible and committed to our steps in the future.
And the commitment should be precise, honest and mutual.
For our part, we will honor our commitments. That's why the continuation and
expansion of the settlement drive, as the situation in the city of Hebron
and elsewhere shows, lead to the persistence of tensions. Likewise,
continued qualms about a new independent Palestinian birth convey to each
and every Palestinian the feeling that his or her life shall remain in
jeopardy. Today, standing before you, I tell you with courage and a sense of
responsibility that our participation in the great peace process means that
we are betting everything on the future.
Therefore we must condemn and forswear violence totally, not only because
the use of violence is morally reprehensible, but because it undermines
Palestinian aspirations to the realization of peace, the exercise of our
political and national options and the achievement of economic and cultural
progress in Palestine and in the region.
From this day on we do not want to see any waste of or threat to any
innocent Palestinian life or any innocent Israeli life. Enough killing and
enough killing of innocent people...
For us to succeed on both fronts, we are bound to base the emerging
Palestinian political system on the principles of liberty, democracy,
separation of powers, freedom of expression and national initiative. We are
also bound to continue building Palestinian institutions and the Palestinian
national economy.
But this enterprise is still in its early stages and our institutions have
yet to mature. The road ahead remains long, indeed. We look forward to your
continued support of our people and we thank all friendly and brotherly
donors for their assistance.
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres:
Mr. President of the United States of America, Majesties, Excellencies
and friends,
In these Holy Days for our people, we pray:
"Who shall be cast down and who shall be uplifted."
God's verdict, our choice. I felt its meaning when, hours before Rosh
Hashanah, we did not know if we would fail or succeed. And once it was
decided, I knew that a dream had become a contract and an impasse had become
an opportunity. Nobody forced us, not everybody agreed with us. Yet it was
done not out of fear or weakness.
It was our free choice. Our moral preference: Not to compel ourselves to be
the rulers of another people, to be the rulers of the Palestinian people.
Once the agreement will be implemented, no longer will the Palestinians
reside under our domination. They will gain self-rule and we shall return to
our heritage.
The talks were like negotiating on a tightrope - over a scenery full of
mountains of hatred and chasms of fear. The road was uncharted, the process
unprecedented. Yet we have arrived.
The agreement should be judged by its potential, not just by its content. It
will introduce the agenda of the twenty-first century into the miseries of
the Middle East. An agenda of cultural pluralism, economic prosperity,
market economy, industry, science, budgets that give priority to
education and, finally, a democracy supported by participation and
offering equality. Now, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinians and Israel can
convert the rift into a height of culture and economy, carrying the peace to
awaiting destinations, to invite the Syrians and the Lebanese to join in, so
as to make it comprehensive, for all of us.
It is an agreement to end confrontation and a promise to the young
generations - Muslims, Christians, Jews - to be free from the clouds of war,
the insults of tyranny, the alienations of suspicion. To enable them to
travel freely, pray uninterruptedly and see in their pasts not a burden, but
a permit - for their own genesis.
There is no future to posterity if there is no peace. I watched the change
at the negotiations in Eilat and Taba. Had they taken place a few years ago,
probably everybody - the Palestinians and us - would have come with rifles.
Now they carried doubts. Doubts are better than rifles. So, finally, it
wound up as a group, almost a united group, in search of peace.
I could not but think of the young boys and girls who lost their lives
enabling these meetings to become an opportunity for the next generation.
Prime Minister Rabin and I are experienced enough to relate to the
youngsters. We knew that the choice we made contains risks, but avoiding it
would invite hopelessness.
We served a world sick of violence, an age tired of failure, a future
anxious for a new vision.
I would like to thank the United States, its people, its President, for the
unique role they played in the peace-making, the Russians for co-sponsoring
it, the Europeans for their strong backing to build a European-like future.
I thank President Mubarak and King Hussein for being at peace and advancing
peace, all over and invite Chairman Arafat to the new endeavor. We wish the
Palestinian people peace, democracy, prosperity. We were born in the same
cradle, then we fought each other on the same front. Too long. Now we can
embark on a voyage to make our relations family-like again.
I wish the Jewish people, my brothers and sisters, a happy New Year, on the
road to fulfill our ancient dream:
"To be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem." To be
free in a commonwealth of peace and freedom, emerging in our troubled and
promising land, beloved land, in the Middle East.