Jerusalem, November 1, 2000
The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has suffered a
terrible blow, just as Israel and the Palestinians were on the very
brink of realizing their dreams of peace and reconciliation. At the
last kilometer of the marathon, as we were nearing the finishing
line, Arafat turned around and ran back in the opposite direction.
This retrogressive and illogical action goes against the tide of
history, it is contrary to the wishes of the international community,
and it is surely detrimental to the interests of his own people.
Arafat started running in the opposite direction, and he has not
stopped for a moment. In doing so, he has harmed the peace process,
while undermining his own standing and personal reputation. Arafat
has chosen to renounce his status as a statesman, preferring instead
to revert to his old role as the leader of a campaign of incitement,
violence and terrorism.
Arafat has a golden opportunity to lead his people to a new and
promising future. Instead, he has taken a dangerous step backwards
towards the abyss. As long as Arafat behaves in this reckless manner,
we in the Foreign Ministry will work day and night to show the world
that he is making a terrible mistake.
It is painful for the Foreign Ministry staff to see Arafat make this
historic mistake. This is partly because the Ministry has always
worked intensively to achieve peace. It is also because we, as
professionals, are only too aware of the magnitude of this terrible
mistake that Arafat has been making in recent days. We realize just
how disastrous the consequences will be for us all.
Over the last seven years, the State of Israel has done everything it
can to accomplish peace with the Palestinians. In the course of this
difficult journey, the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was
assassinated, and the Israeli people courageously withstood a spate
of horrific and cruel terrorist bus bombings that no state in the
modern world has experienced.
When Arafat spoke in the past about jihad, we here in the Foreign
Ministry said: "We will judge him by his deeds, not by his words." In
other words, our approach will be determined by his actions.
Arafat's actions over the last month have been intolerable. Now, we
are not referring only to words but also to deeds. The State of
Israel will not ignore this. The Foreign Ministry, for its part, will
respond with a diplomatic and an information offensive around the
world.
These are difficult times for every Israeli citizen, as well as for
our diplomats who are at the front line of the information campaign -
and they are at the front line not only of the information campaign,
as you well know. We have been through times like this in the past,
when the entire staff of the Ministry worked tirelessly, with
determination, talent and dedication, and we will carry on in this
manner.
As we strive to achieve peace, we know that we are in the right, and
we know that we will eventually succeed in our struggle.