Israeli citizens, we face crucial decisions in the days ahead.
Just over a year ago, the Israeli people elected this government by
a sweeping majority, and provided it with a mandate to lead the
country - not in order to maintain the existing situation, but in
order to change the situation at its very roots - to ensure a more
secure future for Israel, and to provide hope for our children. We
fulfilled our promise to end the 18-year tragedy and to bring our
sons home from Lebanon; ... and we will act in a similar way, leaving
no stone unturned, in an effort to end the bloody 100-year conflict
between Israel and the Palestinians. We will act with determination,
courage and resourcefulness, while insisting on separation from the
Palestinians, and upholding our assurances on these critical "red
lines":
Israel will not accept moral or legal responsibility for the creation
of the refugee problem.
In the elections, the Israeli people provided us with a clear and
decisive mandate to lead the country, to identify problems and
resolve them, and to identify challenges and confront them from
positions of strength and with self-confidence. In our history, there
have been governments which have preserved the existing situation and
there have been governments which changed the very roots of the
situation, and promised a better future for all our children. Thus
did the Provisional State Council act, under the leadership of David
Ben-Gurion, when it established the state, in spite of the fierce
internal opposition. Thus did the Begin government act when it broke
through the circle of enmity surrounding Israel and made peace,
despite the strong opposition of the right wing. The Rabin government
took this path, when it paved the way towards [reconciliation with]
our Palestinian neighbors, in spite of the bloody incitement in the
streets, and this is the approach of the present government under my
leadership.
The great leaders of Israel set out from here, from united Jerusalem,
the eternal capital of Israel, in order to meet with the great and
important leaders and to make the crucial decisions of Israel's
history. Today, I wish to depart from Jerusalem for Camp David, in
order to complete the peace-making mission begun by the late Menachem
Begin and Yitzhak Rabin.
I will not be traveling alone. I will be joined by two million voters
who entrusted us again with leading the country. I will be joined by
the Israeli public and by citizens who are open to change, and who
seek peace, hope and a strong and modern Israel built upon the
foundations of security and peace - a state which will put an end to
thirty years of coping with the burdens of ruling over another
people, enabling its citizens instead to focus their energies and
talents on domestic needs, on the Galilee and the Negev, on the
elimination of social deprivation and inequality, on education and
hi-tech, on science, the technological revolution, the 21st century
and the future of all our children.
I am joined by millions of youngsters, adults, immigrants and veterans
who wish to give peace a chance, and are asking the prime
minister to do
everything possible in order to try and end the cycle of bloodshed, and
to bring peace, while maintaining our red lines.
I feel the acute pain but also the hope of Yitzhak Frankental, whose
son Arik was killed in a Palestinian terrorist attack; the pain and
hope of Smadar Haran who lost Yael, Einat and Danny in a cold blooded
terrorist act, and of Yehezkel Cohen whose son Noam was killed in a
terrorist attack. I feel the pain and the hope of thousands of
anxious bereaved families. In my heart, I also feel the hurt of the
pioneering Israeli settlers in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. I fully
understand the depth of sincerity and anguish in their cries .
I have been a soldier for over 35 years. In fighting for peace, just
as in war, even when it is painful and difficult, I will not take my
eye off the target; I will keep my hand steady on the helm and the
compass. Therefore, I can tell you that there is no basis to the
bleak prophecies of extremists who wish to scare us away from
reaching a peace agreement. These are the same prophets who warned us
about the duplicity of Sadat when he visited Jerusalem, and of the
Katyushas falling on Kfar Saba following the signing of the Oslo
Agreement. These are the same prophets who would not dare to withdraw
from Lebanon. It is these prophets who are unwilling to make the
effort required to end the cycle of bloodshed. We are prepared to
make the effort.
My head echoes with the recognition which the late Menachem Begin
carried with him when embarking on his mission for peace: "The
difficulties of peace are certainly preferable to the pain of war.
War destroys life, ruins dreams and sows bereavement and loss."
I am embarking on my journey in order to try and return with an
agreement that will strengthen Israel - an agreement that will be
presented to the people for their approval, as it was the people who
sent me and provided me with the mandate.
Mr. Speaker, distinguished Members of Knesset, I am saying to the
citizens of Israel that peace is not simply a matter of ceding parts
of the land that we love. Rather, it is the key to a profound change
in our entire lifestyle. Peace will bring about real change in the
lives of each and every one of us.
Peace will bring foreign investment, the continuation of economic
growth, higher employment and more jobs. It will lead to greater
funding for education, health and infrastructures. Peace will reduce
social inequalities and deprivation, and will provide equal
opportunities for all, including those who have fallen behind.
I wish to tell the Palestinians that Israel's military strength was
established in order to defend ourselves and to enable us to achieve
peace. We cannot be threatened on the battlefield. We will not be
defeated in war. Israel is the strongest military power in the
region. We will continue to preserve Israel's military strength in
the future in order to consolidate the stability of peace and to
deter the opponents of peace who believe that they can hurt us. This
military power, backed by a profound sense of moral justice, will
bolster peace and ensure that it is preserved.
I am saying to the world: Israel is pursuing peace because it is
strong, and because it possesses self-confidence. Israel is pursuing
peace because it seeks a future that is more secure, and it seeks new
hope for its children...
In the name of you all, citizens of Israel, parents and children, the
people of Israel, I depart today from Jerusalem, our eternal capital,
in order to carry Israel forward. I will exhaust every opportunity to
bring peace and security, carrying in my heart the prayer of peace of
the Jewish people since time immemorial: "Bestow peace, goodness and
blessing, life, favor, kindness and mercy upon us and upon all Israel
Your people." The prayer ends:" Blessed art Thou, Almighty God, who
blesses His people Israel with peace."
I will conclude with the words of the Psalmist: "The Almighty will
grant His people strength; the Almighty will bless His people with
peace."