On 20 August, the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam were destroyed by car bombs, with massive loss of life. The Israeli army sent a rescue team to Nairobi to help look for survivors. The terrorists apparently belonged to an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, based in Afghanistan. On 23 August, the United States struck at terrorist bases in Afghanistan and in the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan. Israel was informed of the strike shortly before it occurred, and supported the retaliatory action. The Prime Minister elaborated on the need to fight terror.
On the matter of FRD, the Prime Minister said both sides were now in a critical phase and withdrawal would depend on security considerations and Palestinian compliance. Text:
Mr. Snow: We're now joined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his first American interview since the missile strikes. Mr. Prime Minister, I'm told when you heard news of it, you were on vacation on the Sea of Galilee, and you jumped out of your boat. Is that true?
Prime Minister Netanyahu: I didn't jump out of the boat, but upon getting back to shore, I did receive a phone call from Secretary of State Albright, who informed me of the background and reasons for the American attack. I must tell you that we in Israel support the American action fully. I use the word "attack", but it is really an act of self-defense against ruthless terrorists who need no pretext to kill people as they did in Nairobi and Tanzania. And they will do so again unless they are hit and hit conclusively and repeatedly.
Mr. Snow: Mr. Prime Minister, you've been criticized for bombing Hizbullah sites. The United States bombed a couple of sites. Is bombing the best way to fight terrorism?
Prime Minister Netanyahu: It's one way.
Mr. Snow: What's the best way?
Prime Minister Netanyahu: Look, the terrorists operate under the principle of impunity. They basically think that they can murder innocent people with horrendous and savage attacks, and get away with it. I think that what the American actions signals is a policy that says, "You can't get away with it. We'll get you. We'll get either the perpetrators directly, or the people who give them the means and infrastructure to apply their grisly deeds." That is, I think, a very important act, and one that all free nations and all nations committed to the fight against terrorism should support.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Prime Minister, the Arab nations have either been silent, or taken a neutral stance in the aftermath of the bombings. Does that destabilize the Middle East?
Prime Minister Netanyahu: No, I don't think so. You should understand that there is a public response - or a public lack of response - and a private response. Many of the Arab countries themselves are targets of this same terrorism. Many of them understand the importance of taking a stand against it, even though quite a few of them are reluctant to say so.
Mr. Williams: What about Israel's security? Is it likely or do you consider it unlikely that Osama bin Laden would make Israel a target for any response to the American bombings?
Prime Minister Netanyahu: As I said, these terrorists don't need any pretext. They have continuously attacked us before this action and presumably they will do so - or will try to do so - after this action as well. We understand that to fight terrorism, you have to fight the terrorists. There is no other way. You have to also apply where possible, sanctions and pressures against the states that give them support. In this case, it's slightly more difficult because bin Laden has his own independent infrastructure. But the combination of acting against his organization or organizations, and the states that give them the space, the ground, to operate from within their territory, that is the right action to take. We commend President Clinton for taking this bold and important move.
Mr. Snow: Mr. Prime Minister, is it essential to wage war not merely on Osama bin Laden but also on the states that sponsor terrorism? I speak specifically of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and possibly even Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Netanyahu: All states that support terrorists or provide them safe haven or the basis from which to operate should know that there is a price. The price can be exacted in a variety of ways. There are political sanctions, economic sanctions, and other sanctions - on occasion, including military ones. The precise decision on which of these steps to apply should be taken very carefully. But I believe that seeking to target the organization itself is not only legal, it's common sense. If somebody goes out and bombs an embassy, killing 150 people, they shouldn't get away with it. They should know that there is a price to be paid, and that they will pay the price.
Mr. Snow: Prime Minister Netanyahu, you are now prepared to give up 13% of the West Bank in your negotiations with Chairman Arafat, or President Arafat. Is Yasser Arafat in exchange prepped to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure - Hamas, Hizbullah, and so on?
Prime Minister Netanyahu: I won't go into the specifics of the negotiations because we're still in a critical phase. Our agreement to withdraw from additional territory depends first on the configuration and location of this territory, because obviously Israel is such a tiny country. We're talking about a country whose full distance is, I think, something from Kennedy Airport to downtown Manhattan, just to give you an idea. So we're obviously very concerned with each piece of land, which also happens to be our ancestral homeland. It's very dear to us. The Jewish people have been attached to this land for the last 4,000 years. So both for the terms of history and the very real terms of security, we are very careful not to disengage or withdraw from territory that by withdrawing from it could hamper our security. That's one side of the equation: security.
The second side is Palestinianian compliance. They have promised to take action against the infrastructure of terrorism. Precisely this same infrastructure that we're talking about, in other terms. It is the infrastructure of terrorism, not only the specific terrorists themselves, that have performed recent murders against Israelis in the last few days, that concerns us. There's a specific Palestinian promise to act against this infrastructure. We want to see that in concrete terms as part of the deal. Not only the physical battle against terrorism, which the Palestinian Authority must undertake, but also the moral battle against terrorism. That is chiefly exhibited by their willingness to annul the Palestinian Charter, which calls for Israel's annihilation - in fact, for Israel's annihilation through the use of terror.
So, we want to see both a moral battle and a physical battle against terrorism as part of this package deal. It's not only Israel that has to give, the Palestinians have to give as well. That is an equitable deal, and one which we will be prepared to do.