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Jerusalem, July 9, 2000
PM Barak Briefs Cabinet Prior to Camp David Summit
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Ehud Barak, at the weekly Cabinet meeting today
(Sunday, July 9), reviewed the preparations for the Camp David
summit and detailed the main issues on the agenda. The Prime
Minister emphasized that these will be important, fateful and
difficult talks the outcome of which is unknown and added that
along with the great risks, the Government is aware of the great
responsibility entailed in not achieving an agreement.
Prime Minister Barak reiterated his confidence that if an agreement
is achieved, it will be ratified by an overwhelming popular majority.
Prime Minister Barak also commented on Minister Natan Sharansky's
resignation and said that positively responding to a request to
specify the Government's red lines in exact detail would be liable to
weaken our negotiating position since their publication would turn
them into opening positions as far as the other side is concerned.
Prime Minister Barak added that the Government's red lines are clear:
No return to the 1967 lines;
A united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty;
No foreign army west of the Jordan River;
A majority of the Jewish residents of Judea, Samaria and Gaza will
remain in settlement blocs; and
No Israeli recognition of legal or moral responsibility for
creating the refugee problem.
Prime Minister Barak stressed the historic responsibility and
important test which the Israeli team will face at Camp David. He
added that he will not sign any agreement which does not strengthen
Israel and pointed out that if we reach a situation in which the
world recognizes the borders of the State of Israel, with Jerusalem
as its capital and with 150,000 Jewish settlers as citizens of the
sovereign State of Israel - this will be a considerable achievement.
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