President Bush Seeks Halt
to Mideast Violence
(April 4, 2002)
Good morning. During the
course of one week, the situation in the Middle
East has deteriorated dramatically. Last Wednesday,
my Special Envoy, Anthony Zinni, reported
to me that we were on the verge of a cease-fire
agreement that would have spared Palestinian
and Israeli lives.
That hope fell away when a terrorist attacked
a group of innocent people in a Netanya hotel,
killing many men and women in what is a mounting
toll of terror.
In the days since, the world has watched
with growing concern the horror of bombings
and burials and the stark picture of tanks
in the street. Across the world, people are
grieving for Israelis and Palestinians who
have lost their lives.
When an 18-year-old Palestinian girl is induced
to blow herself up, and in the process kills
a 17-year-old Israeli girl, the future, itself,
is dying -- the future of the Palestinian
people and the future of the Israeli people.
We mourn the dead, and we mourn the damage
done to the hope of peace, the hope of Israel's
and the Israelis' desire for a Jewish state
at peace with its neighbors; the hope of the
Palestinian people to build their own independent
state.
Terror must be stopped. No nation can negotiate
with terrorists. For there is no way to make
peace with those whose only goal is death.
This could be a hopeful moment in the Middle
East. The proposal of Crown Prince Abdullah
of Saudi Arabia, supported by the Arab League,
has put a number of countries in the Arab
world closer than ever to recognizing Israel's
right to exist. The United States is on record
supporting the legitimate aspirations of the
Palestinian people for a Palestinian state.
Israel has recognized the goal of a Palestinian
state. The outlines of a just settlement are
clear: two states, Israel and Palestine, living
side by side, in peace and security.
This can be a time for hope. But it calls
for leadership, not for terror. Since September
the 11th, I've delivered this message: everyone
must choose; you're either with the civilized
world, or you're with the terrorists. All
in the Middle East also must choose and must
move decisively in word and deed against terrorist
acts.
The Chairman of the Palestinian Authority
has not consistently opposed or confronted
terrorists. At Oslo and elsewhere, Chairman
Arafat renounced terror as an instrument of
his cause, and he agreed to control it. He's
not done so.
The situation in which he finds himself today
is largely of his own making. He's missed
his opportunities, and thereby betrayed the
hopes of the people he's supposed to lead.
Given his failure, the Israeli government
feels it must strike at terrorist networks
that are killing its citizens.
Yet, Israel must understand that its response
to these recent attacks is only a temporary
measure. All parties have their own responsibilities.
And all parties owe it to their own people
to act.
We all know today's situation runs the risk
of aggravating long-term bitterness and undermining
relationships that are critical to any hope
of peace. I call on the Palestinian people,
the Palestinian Authority and our friends
in the Arab world to join us in delivering
a clear message to terrorists: blowing yourself
up does not help the Palestinian cause. To
the contrary, suicide bombing missions could
well blow up the best and only hope for a
Palestinian state.
All states must keep their promise, made
in a vote in the United Nations to actively
oppose terror in all its forms. No nation
can pick and choose its terrorist friends.
I call on the Palestinian Authority and all
governments in the region to do everything
in their power to stop terrorist activities,
to disrupt terrorist financing, and to stop
inciting violence by glorifying terror in
state-owned media, or telling suicide bombers
they are martyrs. They're not martyrs. They're
murderers. And they undermine the cause of
the Palestinian people.
Those governments, like Iraq, that reward
parents for the sacrifice of their children
are guilty of soliciting murder of the worst
kind. All who care about the Palestinian people
should join in condemning and acting against
groups like Al-Aqsa, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic
Jihad, and all groups which opposed the peace
process and seek the destruction of Israel.
The recent Arab League support of Crown Prince
Abdullah's initiative for peace is promising,
is hopeful, because it acknowledges Israel's
right to exist. And it raises the hope of
sustained, constructive Arab involvement in
the search for peace. This builds on a tradition
of visionary leadership, begun by President
Sadat and King Hussein, and carried forward
by President Mubarak and King Abdullah.
Now, other Arab states must rise to this
occasion and accept Israel as a nation and
as a neighbor. Peace with Israel is the only
avenue to prosperity and success for a new
Palestinian state. The Palestinian people
deserve peace and an opportunity to better
their lives. They need their closest neighbor,
Israel, to be an economic partner, not a mortal
enemy. They deserve a government that respects
human rights and a government that focuses
on their needs -- education and health care
-- rather than feeding their resentments.
It is not enough for Arab nations to defend
the Palestinian cause. They must truly help
the Palestinian people by seeking peace and
fighting terror and promoting development.
Israel faces hard choices of its own. Its
government has supported the creation of a
Palestinian state that is not a haven for
terrorism. Yet, Israel also must recognize
that such a state needs to be politically
and economically viable.
Consistent with the Mitchell plan, Israeli
settlement activity in occupied territories
must stop. And the occupation must end through
withdrawal to secure and recognize boundaries
consistent with United Nations Resolutions
242 and 338. Ultimately, this approach should
be the basis of agreements between Israel
and Syria and Israel and Lebanon.
Israel should also show a respect, a respect
for and concern about the dignity of the Palestinian
people who are and will be their neighbors.
It is crucial to distinguish between the terrorists
and ordinary Palestinians seeking to provide
for their own families.
The Israeli government should be compassionate
at checkpoints and border crossings, sparing
innocent Palestinians daily humiliation. Israel
should take immediate action to ease closures
and allow peaceful people to go back to work.
Israel is facing a terrible and serious challenge.
For seven days, it has acted to root out terrorist
nests. America recognizes Israel's right to
defend itself from terror. Yet, to lay the
foundations of future peace, I ask Israel
to halt incursions into Palestinian-controlled
areas and begin the withdrawal from those
cities it has recently occupied.
I speak as a committed friend of Israel.
I speak out of a concern for its long-term
security, a security that will come with a
genuine peace. As Israel steps back, responsible
Palestinian leaders and Israel's Arab neighbors
must step forward and show the world that
they are truly on the side of peace. The choice
and the burden will be theirs.
The world expects an immediate cease-fire,
immediate resumption of security cooperation
with Israel against terrorism. An immediate
order to crack down on terrorist networks.
I expect better leadership, and I expect results.
These are the elements of peace in the Middle
East. And now, we must build the road to those
goals. Decades of bitter experience teach
a clear lesson: progress is impossible when
nations emphasize their grievances and ignore
their opportunities. Storms of violence cannot
go on. Enough is enough.
And to those who would try to use the current
crisis as an opportunity to widen the conflict,
stay out. Iran's arms shipments and support
for terror fuel the fire of conflict in the
Middle East. And it must stop. Syria has spoken
out against al Qaeda. We expect it to act
against Hamas and Hezbollah, as well. It's
time for Iran to focus on meeting its own
people's aspirations for freedom and for Syria
to decide which side of the war against terror
it is on.
The world finds itself at a critical moment.
This is a conflict that can widen or an opportunity
we can seize. And so I've decided to send
Secretary of State Powell to the region next
week to seek broad international support for
the vision I've outlined today. As a step
in this process, he will work to implement
United Nations Resolution 1402, an immediate
and meaningful cease-fire, an end to terror
and violence and incitement; withdrawal of
Israeli troops from Palestinian cities, including
Ramallah; implementation of the already agreed
upon Tenet and Mitchell plans, which will
lead to a political settlement.
I have no illusions. We have no illusions
about the difficulty of the issues that lie
ahead. Yet, our nation's resolve is strong.
America is committed to ending this conflict
and beginning an era of peace.
We know this is possible, because in our
lifetimes we have seen an end to conflicts
that no one thought could end. We've seen
fierce enemies let go of long histories of
strife and anger. America itself counts former
adversaries as trusted friends: Germany and
Japan and now Russia.
Conflict is not inevitable. Distrust need
not be permanent. Peace is possible when we
break free of old patterns and habits of hatred.
The violence and grief that troubled the Holy
Land have been among the great tragedies of
our time. The Middle East has often been left
behind in the political and economic advancement
of the world. That is the history of the region.
But it need not and must not be its fate.
The Middle East could write a new story of
trade and development and democracy. And we
stand ready to help. Yet, this progress can
only come in an atmosphere of peace. And the
United States will work for all the children
of Abraham to know the benefits of peace.
Thank you very much.
Sources: The White House |