Speech at the Signing Ceremony for the Israeli-Palestinian
West Bank Accord
(September 28, 1995)
The President. Prime Minister Rabin; Chairman Arafat;
Your Majesty King Hussein; President Mubarak; Foreign Minister Peres;
Mr. Abu Mazin; Prime Ministers Gonzalez, Filali, Bin Shakir; Foreign
Minister Kozyrev, our cosponsor of the Middle East peace negotiations;
distinguished foreign ministers and members of the Diplomatic Corps;
and honored guests:
I welcome you to the White House for this milestone
on the path to reconciliation. Today we make a great stride toward the
fulfillment of a vision toward the day when two peoples divided by generations,
by conflict, are bound now by peace. Finally, the time is approaching
when there will be safety in Israel's house, when the Palestinian people
will write their own destiny, when the clash of arms will be banished
from God's Holy Land.
Two years ago, on another brilliant September day here
at the White House, two men reached across one of history's widest chasms
with a simple handshake. That moment is etched forever in our memory.
With the eyes of the world upon you, Mr. Prime Minister, you declared
your wish to live side by side with the Palestinian people in dignity,
in empathy, as human beings, as free men. And you, Mr. Chairman, vowed
to wage what you called the most difficult battle of our lives, the
battle for peace.
In the days of labor that have followed, you have both
shown profound courage in bringing us to this moment, and you have kept
your word.
The enemies of peace have fought the tide of history
with terror and violence. We grieve for their victims, and we renew
our vow to redeem the sacrifice of those victims. We will defeat those
who will resort to terror. And we revere the determination of these
leaders who chose peace, who rejected the old habits of hatred and revenge.
Because they broke so bravely with the past, the bridges have multiplied,
bridges of communication, of commerce, of understanding. Today, the
landscape changes and the chasm narrows.
The agreement that now will be signed means that Israel's
mothers and fathers need no longer worry that their sons will face the
dangers of patrolling Nablus or confronting the hostile streets of Ramallah.
And it means that Palestinians will be able to decide for themselves
what their schools teach, how their houses should be built, and who
they choose to govern.
You, the children of Abraham, have made a peace worthy
of your great forebear. Abraham, patriarch of both Arabs and Jews, sacrificed
power for peace when he said to his nephew, Lot, "Let there be
no strife between thee and me. If thou will take the left hand, then
I will go to the right." Patience and persistence, courage and
sacrifice: These are the virtues, then as now, that set peacemakers
apart.
Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Chairman, you are showing
that it is not by weapons, but by will and by word, that dreams best
become reality. Your achievement shines as an inspiration to others
all around this world who seek to overcome their own conflicts and to
secure for themselves the blessings of peace.
Chapter by chapter, Jews and Arabs are writing a new
history for their ancient lands. Camp David; the Declaration of Principles,
signed here 2 years ago; the peace of the Arava last year between Jordan
and Israel: With each of these, the truth of this book has become clear
to the world. As courageous leaders stepped beyond the bounds of convention,
they build for their peoples a new world of hope and peace.
Now, as this new chapter begins, it is fitting that
we are joined by so many from the camp of peace. Egypt's President Mubarak
has carried forth the commitment to peace that began with Anwar el-Sadat
and the miracle at Camp David. Before there was a glimpse of a breakthrough,
President Mubarak stood for reconciliation. And he added his strength,
his personal strength, time and time again in the days of the negotiations.
Almost a year ago, on the border that had known only
barbed wire and armed patrols, King Hussein and Prime Minister Rabin
brought their nations together in peace. Already that border has been
transformed, as have the lives of Israelis and Jordanians, after 46
years as enemies. King Hussein stands a rock on which peace can be built.
In only a few weeks, he will host the economic summit in Amman that
will bring together Israelis and Arabs from throughout the region, business
and government leaders from throughout the world, to map the promise
of tomorrow.
Today we are also joined by the largest group of Arab
foreign ministers ever assembled to support the growth of peace. Prime
Minister Filali of Morocco has traveled here to represent King Hassan,
who has done so much to advance progress in the region. With us as well
are representatives of nations that have provided vital support for
peace, including the countries of the European Union, Japan, Canada,
and of course, Norway, whose assistance 2 years ago opened the way to
this moment.
All those who doubt the spirit of peace should remember
this day and this extraordinary array of leaders who have joined together
to bring a new era of hope to the Middle East. The United States is
proud to stand with all of them.
Much remains to be done. But we will continue to walk
each step of the way with those who work and risk for peace. We will
press forward with our efforts until the circle of peace is closed,
a circle which must include Syria and Lebanon if peace is to be complete.
We will not rest until Muslims and Jews can turn their backs to pray
without any fear; until all the region's children can grow up untouched
by conflict, until the shadow of violence is lifted from the land of
light and gold.
Thank you very much.
[At this point, the Israeli-Palestinian West Bank Accord
was signed. Following the signing, King Hussein of Jordan, President
Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Chairman Yasser Arafat of the PLO, and Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel made remarks.]
The President. As we adjourn, let me once again thank
all of our guests from across the world who have come here to be a part
of this and to wish all the parties well. Let me thank those who spoke
today for their contributions to the peace process.
Let me say a special word of thanks to the members
of Congress who have come here from both parties, including both Jewish-Americans
and Arab-Americans represented in our United States Congress, for their
support of the United States effort.
And let me close with this simple thought. As the cold
war has given way to a global village in which the enemies of peace
are many and dispersed all across the world, the United States is honored
and obligated to be a force for peace, from Northern Ireland to Southern
Africa, from Bosnia to Haiti, to reducing the nuclear threat and the
threat of biological and chemical weapons to fighting against terrorism
and organized crime.
But this is special. For it is in this place that those
of us who believe that the world was created by, is looked over by,
and ultimately will be accountable to one great God. All of us came
from there, whether we find that wisdom in the Torah or the Koran or
the Christian Holy Bible. If we could all learn in that place to find
the secret of peace, then perhaps the dream of peace on Earth can truly
be realized.
Thank you, and God bless you all.
Sources: Public Papers of the President |