Jerusalem, 3 December 2000
PM Barak: Setting target dates does not serve Israel's interests; Current violence result of conscious decision by other side
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
At the beginning of the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday),
3.12.2000, Prime Minister Ehud Barak noted that today is the 27th
anniversary of the passing of David Ben-Gurion. The Prime Minister
said that Ben-Gurion had both outlined a far-reaching vision for the
country and led it towards realizing this vision with his strong
leadership, efforts to build a strong IDF and ceaseless striving for
peace based on a sagacious, determined and responsible pragmatism.
"It is proper that Ben-Gurion's legacy be a guide for future
generations; our government will continue acting in the way outlined
by the first prime minister."
Prime Minister Barak praised the IDF over the way in which it has
dealt with the outbreaks of violence and added that the continuous
military activity includes achievements that have not become public
knowledge. The Prime Minister took issue with the reports that his
conversation with US President Clinton had been difficult and
emphasized that the two countries jointly aspire for a reduction in
violence and want to examine the chances for resuming the
negotiations.
Prime Minister Barak stressed that there is no American plan for
resolving the current crisis with the Palestinians and, thus, there
is no rejection of such a plan on our part. The Prime Minister
pointed out that Israel and the US administration coordinate on a
broad range of issues and added that we appreciate very much that
President Clinton's personal commitment to the peace process remains
strong.
Prime Minister Barak said that it is not reasonable to assume that
the negotiations - if they are opened - will be able to be brought to
a close without deep American involvement, but added that,
frequently, there are advantages to direct contacts between ourselves
and the Palestinians without the presence of a third party.
In response to reports that certain political elements have set a
target date for him to achieve an agreement, Prime Minister Barak
said that this neither helps us nor serves Israel's interests. "Any
attempt to dictate dates to the Prime Minister disturbs Israel and
damages the proper management of the diplomatic process," Prime
Minister Barak said.
Prime Minister Barak also criticized those who claim that the policy
undertaken at Camp David forestalled the possibility of reaching an
agreement. The Prime Minister recalled that the alternative to Camp
David was to continue on the path laid out by the previous
government, i.e. carrying out the third phase of the withdrawal which
could have resulted either in the handing over of large swathes of
territory in a way that would please the Palestinians but leave us
bereft of assets for the negotiations on the permanent settlement, or
in the transfer of a very small parcel of land in a way that would
lead to the Palestinians' initiating a confrontation under
international conditions much less favorable to Israel and in the
shadow of a severe rift in our people. "The violence now being
undertaken by the Palestinians is not the consequence of our approach
but stems from a conscious choice by the other side which wants to
appear to have attained independence through bloodshed and
confrontation. This cannot surprise us and, in the end, stems from
the substantial differences between the two sides' interests," Prime
Minister Barak said.