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VOLUME 17: 1998-1999
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63. Remarks by Prime Minister Netanyahu on the peace process, 3 August 1998.
In mid- and late-July, senior Israeli officials headed by Defense Minister Mordechai met PA officials a number of times to try and extricate the peace process from its impass. Israel presented new ideas aimed at bridging the gap between its own position and that of the United States, but the Palestinians stated that they had accepted the American proposal. Israel again requested the dispatch of an American official, but the U.S. declined. In statements emanating from Washington, the U.S. expressed its unhappiness over the slow pace of the talks. On a number of occasions, the Palestinians threatened to halt the talks and resort to other measures, such as renewing the intifada. In the following remarks, the Prime Minister reacted to these threats. Text:
Question: Is there a fear that the Palestinians will cut off negotiations today, and if so, how will Israel respond?
Prime Minister Netanyahu: I think the Palestinians would be ill-advised to do so. The talks have been business-like; there have been both Israeli and Palestinian ideas on how to advance the negotiations. Rather than engage in these artificial creations of crises, my advice to all parties is to engage in the negotiations constructively in order to bring their conclusion. I don't think they're beyond our responsibility; I think they're within our possibility. So the right thing to do is to negotiate, not engage in ultimatums or break-offs. That's not going to lead anywhere. We have a vested interest, both of us, to achieve peace with security. That requires completed - not discontinued - negotiations.
We are also looking into the possibility of the release of prisoners. But this comes under the roof of the negotiations and agreements, and we have not made any decisions. Obviously we have very very stiff policies of not releasing anyone with blood on their hands, or members of the Hamas terrorist organization. But within the categories that we've named, we will look at this matter and see if the negotiations proceed and make our decisions accordingly.
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