Address by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to
AIPAC Policy Conference
Washington D.C., March 19, 2001
"Towards a National Agenda of Peace and Security"
Distinguished Members of Congress, the leadership of AIPAC, Tim
Willigur, Lonny Kaplan, Howard Kohr, dear friends and supporters of
Israel.
I bring you greetings from Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the
Jewish people for the past 3000 years, and of the State of Israel for
the past 52 years and forever. Jerusalem belongs to all the Jewish
people - we in Israel are only custodians of the city. Only under the
sovereignty of Israel has Jerusalem been open to all faiths.
Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the holiest site to the Jewish
people, is something you should stand up and speak out about.
Jerusalem will remain united under the sovereignty of Israel -
forever.
I stand before you today, first and foremost as a Jew. This strong
Jewish identity is a central theme in my life and will be in carrying
out my responsibilities as Prime Minister. I want to work to
strengthen the relationship between Israel and Jews all over the
world. I have established a National Unity Government to unite the
people of Israel, but unity among Jews is vital worldwide. Unity is
our source of strength. The Jewish people have one small, tiny
country; it is the only place in the world where Jews have the right
and capability to defend themselves by themselves. For 2000 years we
had to rely on others for our defense, now we control our own
destiny. Exercising this right strengthens the security of Jews
everywhere.
Although I am 6000 miles from home, I feel that tonight, I am among
friends. I would like to recognize the long-standing bipartisan
support of the U.S. Congress for the State of Israel. I have come to
Washington to deepen and strengthen the special relationship between
our peoples. I wish to start by developing a close relationship with
President Bush and his Administration, enhance our ties with both
houses of Congress, and with the American people as a whole. Ten
years ago, under the leadership of President George Bush, Secretary
of Defense Richard Cheney, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, General Colin Powell, the United States won a great military
victory in the Gulf War, that changed the face of the Middle East.
An entirely new situation emerged that opened a 'window of
opportunity' leading to the Madrid Peace Conference in the fall of
1991.
The clear lesson of this period was that if there is a secure Middle
East, there can be a peaceful Middle East. Regional security proved
to be a pre-requisite for peacemaking: face to face negotiations
without the threat of aggression, violence or terrorism. This became
the underlying principle of the Madrid Conference and subsequent
Israeli-Arab negotiations.
In the years that followed Madrid, every Israeli Prime Minister
sought to advance the peace process in his own way. All of Israel
seeks peace. Based on my personal experiences in all of Israel's
wars, I am committed to achieving peace. But Israel needs peace with
security, a peace that will last for generations.
Unfortunately, the situation in the Middle East in 2001 is no longer
the same as it was in 1991, the security of the region as a whole has
eroded.
A new wave of international terrorism is on the rise from Afghanistan
to Lebanon - some of it state-sponsored. Most recently, acts of
terror instigated by the Palestinian Authority, coupled with
deliberate incitement, have become one of the primary sources of
instability in the Middle East.
Terrorism as a form of warfare is a strategic issue in our region:
Most of the past wars in the region were instigated by acts of
terrorism. Therefore, on the basis of past experience, even today
international terrorism can still threaten regional and global
stability.
Terrorism thrives when international norms and principles are
ignored; when the peaceful resolution of disputes is displaced by
violence and intimidation. Therefore, strengthening cooperation among
all western nations including Israel, and concerted efforts led by
the United States are the only way to contain this dangerous
trend.
Regional security is eroding in the wider Middle East, as well. Iraq
has not been under UN monitoring for more than two years and
sanctions have been increasingly ignored. There can be no doubt that
Saddam Hussein is seeking to restore his mass destruction weapons
capability and his quest for long-range missiles.
Iran today is providing unprecedented support for terrorism. It not
only backs Hizbullah, but also seeks to arm and train Palestinian
organizations like Hamas and Islamic Jihad that are planning attacks
within Israel and against Jewish and Israeli targets abroad. Today,
Iran is continuing its effort to export fundamentalism, converting
Lebanon into one of the main centers of international terrorism that
will inevitably undermine the stability of the entire Middle East.
Iran is already testing missiles that can strike Israel. But it is
planning to produce significantly longer-range missiles that will put
the Middle East, Western Europe, Russia and even parts of the U.S.
itself at risk.
Much of this ballistic missile technology comes from North Korea, but
it is also emanating from the Russian Federation.
In the Middle East today, the forces of instability feel they are
gaining momentum. In this new environment, it is not surprising that
the Arab-Israeli peace process has reached a stalemate.
Syria is looking east to its ties with a resurgent Iraq and Iran,
instead of better relations with the West. The Palestinians are
waving the flags of Iraq and Hizbullah. Yasser Arafat and the
Palestinian Authority are returning to the belief that they can
defeat Israel by means of armed struggle. They feel that violence
will produce further Israeli concessions. Arafat is willing to
destabilize the entire Middle East, including moderate Arab regimes,
in order to achieve his goals.
The current situation in the Middle East can be reversed. Strong
democracies determined to protect themselves can restore stability
and build the foundations for a lasting peace.
First, I believe that Israel can reach an agreement with the
Palestinians and I will make every effort to reach such an agreement.
This agreement will be based on two basic stages.
In the first stage, which we have begun, we are already taking
immediate steps to ease up restrictions and improve the economic
situation of the Palestinian population. At the same time, we will
maintain a relentless fight against terrorists and their supporters
with an effort to prevent escalation. Steps and measures to stop the
violence and restore stability must be taken by the Palestinian
Authority as well as the Israeli security forces. Let me emphasize
that I draw a clear distinction between terrorists and their
supporters, on the one hand, and the general population on the
other.
That's what I said before the elections, immediately after the elections, and that's what I started to do, with all the risks. And we have already today paid the first casualty, a father of six children, as a result of the fact that we removed our barriers and removed our checkpoints. But I know that patience is needed, and we are going to continue in our effort to fight terrorists, on one hand, and to try and help the population on the other hand. That will be our policy.
Despite intense diplomatic efforts of the last nine months, it is
clear that conditions are not yet ripe to conclude a permanent status
agreement. However, Israel remains committed to agreements that
previous governments have signed, that were ratified by the Knesset,
and also implemented by the other side. But Israel will not be bound
by the record of past negotiations that failed.
It is for this reason that I have called in the second stage for a
new, more realistic approach of non-belligerency and a long-term
interim agreement. More than ever, Israel needs security zones to
protect it from the growing dangers in the Middle East; the
Palestinians need contiguity and a better economic future. And time
is needed to make sure that incitement and hatred are removed from
the Palestinian media and from school textbooks and that children are
taught the language of peace, so that we can achieve real
reconciliation and a true end to the conflict.
For this to occur, Arafat must understand, first and foremost, that
he will gain nothing from violence. Israel will not negotiate while
Israeli civilians and soldiers are under fire, under threat of terror.
Regrettably, just last week, we received a definite intelligence
warning that Yasser Arafat's own Presidential Guard, known as
Force-17, was planning a car bomb attack in the heart of Jerusalem.
Many Israeli lives were at stake. The Force-17 unit was located in
Palestinian-controlled Ramallah, but Arafat was not prepared to stop
this threat against Israel by himself. Israel placed a ring of
checkpoints around Ramallah in order to catch the Force-17 unit. The
PLO tried to create an international uproar about our actions, saying
that we wanted to strangle Ramallah. We do not want to create
barriers for the Palestinians, but I will do what is necessary to
protect the people of Israel.
Second, it is not enough to address the Palestinian issue alone. For
two decades many believed that if Israel would only make diplomatic
progress with the Palestinians, the rest of the Middle East would
fall into place. That has not happened over the last ten years. The
wider sources of regional instability must be neutralized. It is
imperative that Iraq be placed under strict inspection and
monitoring. Iran's backing of international terrorism must be
stopped. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missile
delivery systems to both Iran and Iraq must be halted.
Third, in order to assure for both the security of Israel and the
United States, we must provide an answer to the emerging threat that
both Iran and Iraq pose to our future security; namely, long-range
ballistic missiles. Missile defense is an absolute imperative for our
countries today. Israel is proud to be one of America's major
international partners in missile defense development. It is our hope
that Israel's own experiences in missile defense can help the US and
its allies in protecting their future security. In sum, restoring
regional stability requires both diplomacy and deterrence.
Let me close, however, with the following observation. The future of
Israel is not just a matter for the Israelis that live there. Israel
belongs to the entire Jewish people. And Israel would not be what it
is today if it were not for the efforts of all Jews worldwide, as
well as of our friends, many of whom I see here tonight. Our
destinies tie us together and remain firmly bound.
Now I turn to your generation to stand by Israel at this critical
hour. We have three main goals on our shared agenda; aliya - immigration to Israel, then a
Zionist-Jewish education, and continuing to build the foundations of
the State of Israel.
Now is the time to make aliya and join us in building the country.
But if you cannot, it is also the time to visit. You have to come and visit, and you will find there is a normal life in Israel. And send your children
to learn and study. A Jewish and Zionist education is the key to
Jewish survival. We can meet these challenges and make all our dreams
come true.
Together we can make the Jewish people secure, make Israel safe, and
assure for generations an Israel which is a true island of democracy
at peace, with a united Jerusalem as its eternal capital.
Today I feel the heavy responsibility of being Prime Minister. I am
ready to face the challenges and hopes that lie ahead. I am hopeful
that if we work together, we can live to see Israel reach its
potential and take its place as a true light unto the nations.
I would like to end with a quotation I used in my opening speech to the
Knesset two weeks ago. It is taken from President Abraham Lincoln's
presidential address on March 4, 1865 and reflects my own feelings
and aspirations upon assuming office:
"With malice towards none, with charity for all; for firmness in the
right, as God gives to us to see the right, let us strive to finish
the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds;. to do all which
may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves,
and with all nations."
Thank you.