80 Interview with Prime Minister Netanyahu in the Chicago Tribune- 2 February 1997

Question: What is your vision of Israels future in the region?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: I believe that the nature of peace in the Middle East for the foreseeable future will always involve the need for a strong Israel, for a strong Israeli deterrent. The weak do not make peace in this part of the world and they certainly dont keep it for very long. Witness Kuwait. Israeli strength is a requirement for peace. I think a strong Israeli-American alliance is critical for larger stability in the Middle East. If we didnt have this axis, many of the Arab governments around us would be in a much more unstable situation.

Question: How do you assess your relations with Mr. Arafat after turning over most of Hebron to the Palestinians?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: The new thing now is that the majority of the people of good will around the world now understand that Israel is irrevocably committed to peace, but it wants a true peace and one that is kept by the other side as well, and one that does not forgo security, but insists on it, and ensures that security will be there. This is an ongoing test (for Arafat) that cannot be met one day and then not kept the next day. A patchy record on terror is no record at all. We want a firm, consistent anti-terrorist policy. And I assure you that if we see that, we will express our appreciation unreservedly.

Question: Have you changed? How did you reconcile embracing the Oslo peace process with the Likuds and your historic ideology of a greater Israel?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: That decision was made by the Labor government. It created the facts on the ground. It created these agreements that we said we would keep, because agreements are binding, providing, of course, the other party keeps them as well. That was our announced policy before the elections. After the elections, we simply did what we said we would do all along. If there is a surprise in some peoples minds, its becausethey didnt believe we actually meant what we said. And Im surprised at those who are surprised. I wouldnt go to an election and promise the Israeli electorate a set of policies, and indeed the international community, only to go against it, only to break my word the next day.

Question: But even one of your Likud Cabinet ministers, Benny Begin, resigned over the Hebron deal. Isnt it costly for you to embrace a process you didnt like to begin with?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: I think its understandable that a lot of people had frustrations, but the frustration is directed against a reality that we inherited. Certainly anyone who joined my government should have known from Day 1, as I explained at the first Cabinet meeting, that this is the route that were going to take.

Question: You oppose Arafats demand for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, so what would you give the Palestinians?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: Well, were talking about self-government of course and not sovereignty and certainly not unbridled self-determination vis-a-vis the Palestinian entity. I believe we can come up with a scheme that will address both the Palestinians concern to run their affairs as freely as possible and our concerns to protect our most vital national interests, foremost of which is security and the unity of Jerusalem. The question is, does every national group in every piece of territory that declares that it wants independence, must it have a state of its own with an army of its own, with weapons of its own, assuming unconventional weapons of its own? This could lead to the breakup of the international system as we understand it.

Question: How can you persuade Palestinians to accept self-rule in only part of the West Bank, while still leaving most of the Jewish settlements there? The U.S., Arafat and others consider settlements an obstacle to peace.

Prime Minister Netanyahu: The statement that the settlements are an obstacle is a true obstacle to peace, because they are no obstacles in any way. Many of the settlements are based on ancient cities that were barren land that no one brought to life until the Jews returned there. My policy is not to expropriate a single square meter of private land for construction of settlements or housing. Further than that, no one seeks to limit in any way the growth of Palestinian communities, some of which are built on banished Jewish communities, for example in Hebron, in which the Jewish community was massacred. Shall we say we should curb the growth of the Arab part of Hebron? Of course not. So we are seeking, in fact, a solution that will enable the Jews to live normally and to have the growth of their communities take place, just as we seek that for the Palestinians.

Question: How do you react to former critics who are now patting you on the back and praising you for the Hebron deal?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: Well, Im used to the continued barrage of Israel-bashing. Its not that I feel comfortable with it, but I never feel significantly uncomfortable with it. Therefore Im not carried to the heights of euphoria when Im suddenly praised. I do things by what I believe is right, not by what other people believe I should do. I go by what I promised to the voters to do. And that is to pursue peace with security.

Question: After Hebron, do you feel you can muster a broad national consensus among Israelis for your positions in the final status talks?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: I suppose youve got a hint at what I was talking about in the fact that in the Hebron agreement we received 87 votes (in the Knesset), which is three more than (the late Prime Minister) Menachem Begin got on Camp David. This is on a much more difficult subject. This is not the Sinai, which is distant, or the peace with Jordan, which involves practically no difficulties on Israels part. This is in the most complicated area. It involves conflicting historical and security claims and water claims. And therefore, I attach great importance, and I have great confidence, in our ability to negotiate not only from a position of firmness but also from a position of wide public support.

Question: Do you think your rival, former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, would have had similar wide support in getting Israeli troops out of most of Hebron?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: Well, first I can say that the agreement we produced on Hebron is a far better agreement (than the 1995 Interim Agreement Peres negotiated with Arafat). What weve done is to bolster the security aspects of this agreement in great detail, work out better and more numerous coordination mechanisms between us and the Palestinians, and improved it in other ways. Would the previous government have done that? I dont know. Its a fact that they didnt. No one can predict that there wont be trouble ahead. What we can say is that we have not had any trouble up to now, and that by itself is important.

Question: Syria demands Israel return the Golan Heights in exchange for peace. Can you get a treaty with Syria without giving up land?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: I think its clear that Syria and Israel have different conceptions about the Golan, and probably several other things. I think each of us will come with our own positions to the negotiations, and proceed from there. I dont think it would be wise right now to speculate on the end of negotiations and how we can achieve an agreement. That should be left to the negotiators. But, again, we cannot force Syria if it doesnt want to resume the talks.

Question: What would you like to tell Syrian President Hafez Assad?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: To resume the peace, or to act on his statement that peace is even more important for Syria than it is for Israel. If that is his position, then we should have no difficulty resuming the talks. Now we seek to see a continuation of the peace, first with the Palestinians on the basis of reciprocity, namely that they keep their side of the agreements as well, and secondly, of course, the resumption of talks with Syria on an equal footing. Each side will bring, as I said, its own positions to the table.

Question: Is it a win-win situation for you now to make this appeal to Assad? If he accepts, then you negotiate. If not, you avoid for now the question of giving up the Golan, and yet youve done all you can for peace.

Prime Minister Netanyahu: I dont think of it in those terms. I think of a simple objective, and that is to expand the circle of peace, but you need two to tango and you need two to make peace. And nothing can be imposed, on either side.