Using the occasion of a meeting with a visiting Canadian minister, the Prime Minister answered questions on his relations with Israel's President, on Jerusalem and on ties with Canada. The latter were strained due to the charge that Israeli agents used Canadian passports in their September 1997 operation aganist Hamas leader Mashal in Amman. Text:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today (Thursday), 2.7.98, with Canadian Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs Stephane Dion. At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister answered questions on a number of issues.
Regarding his relationship with President Ezer Weizman, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "For the good of the country, it is important for the President and Prime Minister of the State of Israel to settle all issues on the agenda between them, and certainly not through public dispute. On this point, there was agreement between us. Our primary struggle today - and this, I explained to President Weizman - is to complete an agreement which is binding on both parties. For its part, Israel has made considerable progress on the redeployment. The Palestinians still have offered next to nothing in collecting weapons and explosives, in arresting murderers, in abrogating the Palestinian Charter and in ending the incitement so that there will be no more terrorist attacks. I insist on this, and clarified this to the President: when there is progress on their side, very rapid progress will be possible on ours."
Regarding Arafat's statements on Jerusalem, the Prime Minister said, "All these threats is not an acceptable method to us. We are engaged in negotiations, trying to make progress, and they are making constant threats: 'If we do not get what we want, we will resort to terrorism, we will resort to violence.' This is precisely the opposite of peace, and contravenes the Oslo Accords. What are we demanding that he honor? The Oslo Accords, as he promised. From our perspective, these are not wonderful agreements, but we are committed to them - and he must be as well."
Regarding Canadian-Israeli relations in the wake of the Mashal affair, the Prime Minister said, "We have excellent relations with the Canadian government. Canada is a very close friend of the Government of Israel, and we discuss all matters."
Regarding contacts on the political negotiations, the Prime Minister said, "There are ongoing contacts. The problem is not the mechanism of the contacts; the problem is their substance. In order for there to be progress, we very quickly encounter the question facing the Palestinians: are you prepared to fulfill your part of the agreements, or not? Are you prepared to fight terrorism or not? Are you prepared to collect weapons and explosives or not? Are you prepared to imprison murderers and their leaders or not? Are you prepared to end the incitement to propaganda and terrorism or not? These are decisions that they must make. If they make the good and correct decisions, as I hope they will, we can very quickly make progress toward an agreement."
The Prime Minister continued, "These are not Israel's conditions. These are the commitments that the Palestinians have given us, and they are not even new commitments. They were made five years ago in Oslo I, three years ago in Oslo II and 18 months ago in the Hebron agreement. How many times must we receive promises? We do not want promises; we want the fulfillment of commitments - timetables, implementation and a supervision mechanism. As soon as these things exist, and we finally see the Palestinian Authority doing what it has promised in these areas which I have mentioned, it is my view that we will be able to very quickly reach an agreement, but only then. The agreement is not being delayed because of Israel; it is being delayed because the Palestinians refuse to fulfill their commitments."