Briefing by Acting FM Ben-Ami to Diplomatic Corps - 03-Oct-2000

Jerusalem, October 3, 2000
Opening Remarks

As you may know, after Camp David we developed a series of encounters with our Palestinian partners, and at the same time we opened separate channels of talks with the Americans, with a possible view of producing some kind of package. We don't yet know whether the Americans will decide to produce a package. It will depend on their assessment of their capacity to reconcile between the positions of the parties.

An additional channel of contacts is that related to our attempt to find a way to reconcile the positions of the Palestinians and the Israelis with regard to the Temple Mount, or Haram el-Sharif. In this particular chapter of the process, we have the assistance, good services, of the Egyptian government, of the Americans, the French, and Secretary General Kofi Annan. Simultaneously, on and off, and whenever it is necessary, we meet our Palestinian partners.

It was very unfortunate that this process had to be diverted to a side, violent track, and most unwelcome track. That is what happened in the last days between us and the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem at the beginning, and then in the territories.

Our attitude is that violence does not serve a purpose in this process. We have gone very, very far as a government in this process. We are ready to contemplate ideas no government before us has contemplated - with regard to Jerusalem, the territories, settlements, military issues, security issues. I think that all those who are privy to the details of our negotiations will accept that we are very, very close to striking an agreement with the Palestinians - if, indeed, we do not divert our attention to side, violent tracks.

By our policy, by our readiness to contemplate new and rather bold ideas, we have brought the Palestinians to the moment of truth, just as it is the moment of truth to us.

We don't have an easy clue to explain why we went into this wave of violence. Obviously there can be all kind of explanations. People will say what happened in the Temple Mount on a given day, a given visit, etc. But there was no reason that in the middle of such a political process, at such a delicate moment, when so much is at stake for the two parties, we should surf on such a wave of violence.

We have been told repeatedly that Chairman Arafat has given instructions to his people to stop violence, to control the riots, etc. We did not see that on the ground. There were organizations that either did not receive the instructions, or went their own way. Therefore, the sequence of violence persisted.

We have been told that there is a ceasefire between us and the Palestinians - this is the news that met us this morning in the radio. I am not aware of such an official ceasefire. What I am aware is that incidents continued to occur throughout the territories. However, we are aware that the level, the intensity, is somehow lower than in previous days.

So let us indeed hope that violence will disappear from the agenda. We are very, very keen to have an agreement with the Palestinians. I know that it is their policy, and this is why we simply cannot understand why we were unable to cut this sequence of violence.

Tomorrow morning, a meeting will be held in Paris under the invitation, the initiative of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, with the Prime Minister. There will also be meetings with Chairman Arafat, obviously, the Secretary General, and President Chirac. This is one ingredient of an initiative that has as a purpose to change the direction, or rather bring us back on the real track that we are supposed to be on.

President Mubarak is very active in assisting the parties to end this, I hope, transitional stage of conflict in order to move back to the track of negotiations, and Cairo may be another venue for talks between the parties - not necessarily concentrated on the question of the end of violence. The end of violence should be taken for granted. But concentrated on the need to give a new direction, to create a new atmosphere, so that we can proceed to what we would like to believe is the common objective of both Israelis and Palestinians, and that is to exhaust the possibilities that exist for a deal between Israel and the Palestinian people.

So this is more or less the agenda for the coming days. Essentially it will be a Paris agenda, and later on a Cairo agenda, where we hope that we could revive the good atmosphere of previous days.

Allow me to express my deep sorrow for the loss of life, the unnecessary loss of life, that occurred during the clashes between Israelis and Palestinians. Let me reiterate that the essence of our policy is to reach an agreement. It is difficult. It is difficult because we have touched the most difficult questions in this conflict or this process. It is not easy for us; I understand it is not easy for the Palestinians. I do not underestimate a bit the difficulties of Chairman Arafat. We ask him not to underestimate our difficulties.

If we are sensible enough to the constraints, the difficulties, the challenges that each party faces, we will be more open to revive the spirit of days before the recent clashes. We must isolate these events, we must bring them to an end, so that we can proceed to the real business at stake. I believe that it is possible.

We appreciate the good services of the Americans, the French, the Secretary General, and of President Mubarak and Foreign Minister Amre Moussa. This is most welcome that all these friends of an agreement should, each of them, make its contribution in order for the parties to get back to the real business.