Jerusalem, 26 February 1996
For an entire day, the people have been assembled in their grief over the victims of the two terrible attacks: in the heart of Jerusalem, apparently carried out by a suicide terrorist from Hebron, and at Ashkelon Junction, by a terrorist disguised as an IDF soldier who entered the hitchhiking stand and carried out the attack. One after the other, we accompany the caskets of our dear ones -- from all strata of society -- to [their] eternal rest, and a prayer is carried in our heart for the welfare and full recovery of the wounded. The condolences on our lips are not fully comforting, because the words are too small to encompass the scope of the pain. Our heart is with the bereaved parents, widows, widowers, and orphans. Our heart beats with theirs. Our eyes shed their tears.
At this difficult moment, the people knew to unite in its pain, and cast aside routine debates and regular affairs.
Jerusalem, which has been, is, and will always remain the united capital of Israel, is today also united in its pain. It is possible to wound her, but no one will succeed in dividing her.
Terrorism does not distinguish between us. It does not distinguish between man and woman, new immigrant or "sabra" -- to my deep regret among the victims there were at least nine new immigrants -- the elderly and the young, the religious and the secular, or between one orientation and another. We are all a desirable target in its eyes. It aspires to harm our people, not only its policy. And more than it aspires to attack a particular objective, the attack is its main objective. We are on the road to peace, which has not yet reached its full fruition. We are in a struggle against terrorism, which has not yet despaired of the path of violence as the only strategy.
This is a contradictory situation: we must hope for peace, and we must bear the burden of violence.
But I am certain that despite the terrible pain, we will be victorious. We will be victorious because we are right. We will be victorious because we are strong. We will be victorious because we are making the only correct choice, both for ourselves and for our neighbors.
We will be victorious because HAMAS has no solution to the conflict, and it has no purpose, even for the Palestinian people. They shoot at our citizens, but they harm the Palestinians' hope. They are responsible for the hatred, the killing, the poverty, and the closure. They aspire to repeat the mistakes of the past, which brought down genuine tragedy on the Palestinians' heads.
In the war against terrorism, there has been both positive and negative change. The positive change has found expression in the PLO's decision to disarm itself of the weapon of terrorism, and in many instances, it is also fighting it. The negative change has found expression in the temptation of young people to commit suicide on the altar of HAMAS' illusions.
The parents of suicide terrorists will yet realize that murderers have no God and will receive no reward. And as for us, we are convinced that ways to defeat them will ultimately be found. It is already clear that it is impossible to fight against suicide terrorists today without fighting their supporters, those who preach to them, and their infrastructure.
Their supporters wrap themselves in religious guises and they tempt young men and women to put an end to their lives, in order to attack a target that cannot be broken. Israel has never been, and will never be, a target that can be annihilated. Israel has defeated armies; it will also defeat terrorists.
HAMAS has established charitable organizations in order to camouflage its true nature. These charitable organizations raise funds abroad, supposedly to aid orphans, but in fact they use the contributions to purchase explosives. The countries in which these funds are raised must put an end to these appeals.
Their infrastructure is demonstrated in public appearances in the territories. They hold memorial rallies for murderers and brandish their weapons in broad daylight. They maintain clandestine terrorist cells in the territories. This grave picture poses a challenge for the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority must decide whether there is room in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for para-military organizations which want to harm peace, the agreement, and Israel or whether there is room for only one organization authorized to carry weapons there -- the Palestinian Police. There is no value to the majority which the PLO won if a minority of armed persons can undermine its policy.
The Palestinian Authority must decide to disarm the terrorists or risk endangering its authority. The Palestinian Authority must outlaw those who act contrary to the law, as the agreement between us requires.
The Palestinian Authority must do its part; we will do ours. We will not halt the peace process; we will continue with it. At the same time, we will take all appropriate means in order to strike at terrorists everywhere, both before and after they commit their criminal actions.
We will not rest until all of the lunatics and violent persons are properly punished. For us, this is not only a matter of victory. In any event, we will defeat them, even if the struggle is long and demanding. However, it is a matter of doing justice. No people has done as much as ours in order to create understanding with the Palestinians.
We have done this despite the terrorism, and we will strike at terrorism even when peace must be made. HAMAS will not solve the Palestinian problem, and HAMAS will not frighten Israel.
The best of our people in the security services -- the IDF, the GSS and the police -- will work to locate and eradicate HAMAS' members. And even though I cannot promise that there will no more victims, or that we will know no more grief, I am certain that we will bring about the collapse of this murderous organization, just as all the murderous organizations throughout history have collapsed.
In my capacity as Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, I have instructed all of the security services to give top priority to the war against terrorism in general, and particularly to the terrorism of suicide attackers.
Suicide terrorism, a relatively new phenomenon, requires us to find additional methods to fight it, beyond those which we have at our disposal. An effort to find additional means will be made.
The closure of the territories will continue as long as is required from a security standpoint.
Limitations have not been imposed, and will not be imposed, on the pursuit of terrorists, the punishment of those who dispatch them, or the destruction of their cells.
We have asked the governments of countries from which HAMAS receives funding to take measures in order to halt the flow of funds. I have asked Arafat to employ his forces in order to detain those suspected of organizing previous terrorist attacks.
And in consultation with security officials, we have formulated a list of operational demands to be submitted to those responsible for security in the Palestinian Authority. For us, compliance with these demands will be a supreme test of their ability to uphold their commitment.
The closure, intelligence activities, the elimination of sources of funding, outlawing the terrorist organizations, the arrest of terrorist leaders, and other operational actions will also leave their marks on the fight against terrorism.
The war against terrorism will remain methodical and incessant.
Even if we continue to argue internally about the correct path which should be taken for peace, we will unite as one in the war against those who wish to harm us.
After all, they attacked us without a peace process, and will continue trying to harm us even when there is a peace process. I know that HAMAS wants us to be frightened -- we will not be frightened. They want us to be divided -- and we will not be divided. Alertness by the security forces and the unity of the people are the two orders of the day.
I turn to those Palestinians who want peace, and ask them to prevent this violent minority from destroying their future and their hope. The ballot, and not the bullet, is the right ticket for peace and freedom.
Murder will not kill the peace process. But there will be no forgiveness for murderers because of the peace process.
Members of Knesset,
On behalf of the Government, and on behalf of the entire House, I send our most profound condolences to the families of the victims of the attacks in Jerusalem and Ashkelon. We will pray for the well-being of the wounded, and for their speedy recovery.
We will support the soldiers and commanders of the IDF, the Border Police, the Israel Police, and the anonymous soldiers of the GSS -- who, on our behalf, work day and night in the long and difficult pursuit of extremist terrorism.
A nation is tested in its agony. Of course, we are in pain. But even in pain, we will not throw our objectives of peace and security into the sea. Even in pain, we will know how to fight appropriately, and to stand together without losing hope.