The Arik Network: ANN
Ariel Sharon
speaking. Posted 12/5/2001
Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon speaking about
the corrent situation and Israel's hopes for the future:
"I would
like to thank you Howard for your words. I would like to thank the
Foreign Press Association, thank you for coming.
I will make some remarks, we call them headlines,
and then if you will have any questions, only if you do have I will
be ready to answer it.
You know from the last two months, I regard the National
Unity Government to be very very important in order to be able to
accomplish all those hopes that we have in order to be able to contain
and face all the dangers that we are facing. I would like you to
know that all of us are committed to peace.
For Israel peace is a natural and first choice. I
am really sorry to say that I am not sure that is the first choice
of the Palestinians.
I know that myself, I have been portrayed to be,
maybe as a result of my long time service in the Israeli Defense
Forces or just being a general, have always been portrayed as a
general looking for wars. But I would like to tell you that myself,
I am committed to peace like everybody here in Israel.
I had the merit to serve in all the wars of the State
of Israel, always in the hardest part of those wars.
I had the merit to command perhaps the best units
and formations of the Israeli army. I went through the ranks, I
could have seen it from every angle, and I saw all the horrors and
fears of wars. I saw my friends being killed in battles.
Myself I was badly wounded in battles twice and felt
all those terrible pains in hospitals.
I had to take decisions of life and death of others,
and of myself. Therefore, I think I can say that I understand the
importance of peace, not less, or I may say even better than, many
of the politicians who speak about peace, but never had that experience.
I saw all these things myself. But for me, peace
is not an election gimmick, peace is something serious that should
last for generations and peace should provide security to the Israeli
citizens in the one and only small country that we have -- where
we have the right and the capability to defend ourselves by ourselves.
For that we have to thank G-d every day. That, of
course, we have to preserve. I don't have to tell you that we are
deeply saddened by every loss of life.
And talking altogether about the Israeli armed forces,
I don't know any other military force, I would say, that has the
kind of moral values that we have.
Maybe the Israeli armed forces are the only real
people's army. As I said, we are greatly saddened by every loss
of life. Altogether, about the political developments, I see a two-step
plan.
The first phase where we have to ease restrictions
while fighting terrorism We demand not a reduction of violence but
a total cessation of violence. Then, after calm is restored, we
start negotiations.
We have no desire to occupy areasalready given to
the Palestinian Authority. I can say that we have a burning desire
to reach peace. No doubt, we believe that the Palestinian Authority
must fight terrorism. They made commitment to fight violence; violence
will not get them anywhere.
I would like to tell you in a very frank way we --
will not pay protection money. That is our position. We don't have
to pay in order to create a situation that we will not be killed.
That is not what we believe.
We believe there should be security, that is the first
role of the Palestinian Authority. They signed an agreement, that
is what they signed, and that is what they committed themselves
to.
Looking backwards now, I don't think that the Oslo
Agreement would have beensigned unless Arafat himself committed
himself and signed himself that he is responsible for that law and
order, and of course no terror or no incitement will be here.
That is how we see it.
I know that is a complicated situation, not an easy
one. It will not take one day, it will not take one month, and it
will be a long struggle. I believe in the strength of the Israeli
citizens.
Of course, we have many goals that we have to achieve
and I believe that that is what we are going to do. Altogether I
think we can look forward with optimism and we see what we are doing
in the last one hundred years here.
I think that I must say that the Zionist revolution
-- maybe it was the greatest one - it may be the only true revolution
that took place in the last century, in the last one hundred years.
We managed to bring over here millions of Jews from all around the
world. We brought Jews here from 102 countries speaking 82 languages
and all were integrated.
It was not an easy task, but all were integrated,
they all speak Hebrew. We built here a tremendous infrastructure
-- from a very sophisticated industry to very interesting farming.
That I know, I am a farmer myself, that I know maybe better than
any other thing that I know.
We have here from the most beautiful music, which
I am sure you have listened to. We have here centers of research
and science and a tremendous infrastructure which we built here.
Of course, when you see all those achievements, I
believe that we can look forward with optimism. I think that one
of the main goals of the government will be to bring another million
Jews in the coming ten to twenty years to Israel. And by the year
2020 our hope is that the most or the largest part of the Jewish
people will be living here in the State of Israel. So, having all
those hopes I believe that we can look forward, as I said, with
optimism.
I am optimistic about the future of the State of Israel.
We are united and determined to meet the challenges that lies of
head. Of course, I believe the day will come and we will have peace
with the Palestinians and with the rest of the Arab world with whom
we have not signed yet peace agreements.
Thank you."
Israel will win.
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