Palestinian Statehood:
"Arafat knows that if he declares the establishment of a Palestinian state unilaterally, it will mean the annulment of the Oslo accords." ---Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu speaking to the Likud Central Committee at Tel Aviv's Cinerama Hall, broadcast on Israel Television's Channel 1 Network on December 27, 1998 (translated by the Foreign Broadcast Information Service FBIS-NES-98-361, on January 12, 1999)
"I do not believe a sovereign Palestinian state is a historic imperative." ---Netanyahu, in an op-ed entitled "Looking Forward," Jerusalem Post (JP), April 20, 1999
"[A Palestinian state] is not our concern . . . But once there is an agreement, I won't presume to tell them what to call themselves . . . They have their rights, and one of these is to call their entity whatever they like. If I were the Almighty, I would say make a confederation with Jordan. But it's up to them and the Jordanians. Why should we be for or against a Palestinian state? A Palestinian state is not an Israeli goal." ---Ehud Barak, interviewed in Jerusalem Report, January 18, 1999
"This is a Balfour Declaration for the Palestinians which harms the security of the state." ---Barak, reacting to a letter U.S. president Bill Clinton sent to Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Yasir Arafat on April 26, 1999, in which the president expressed his support for the right of Palestinians to determine their own future (Agence France Presse, April 27, 1999)
"This party, this government will consider the matter of a Palestinian state. The Palestinians do have a right to demand that." ---Yitzhak Mordechai, speaking at a Center Party press conference (JP, March 25, 1999)
Jerusalem:
"To my regret, [the Oslo accords] put Jerusalem on the table, but I have made it clear [this] is not a subject for negotiation. There is no possibility of any concession on Jerusalem." ---Netanyahu, addressing the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (JP, March 18, 1999)
"Jerusalem will remain united under Israel's sovereignty forever. Period." ---Barak, interviewed live on Israel Television's Channel 1 Network on December 27, 1998 (FBIS-NES-98-361, December 28, 1998)
"United Jerusalem will remain under Israeli sovereignty, its eternal capital. Freedom of religion and worship, and the special status of the holy Islamic and Christian places, will be safeguarded." ---Center Party platform, online (in Hebrew) at http://www.hamercaz.org.il
Final Status:
"If peace is to prevail, the Palestinians must not have a large army equipped with tanks, missiles, and artillery, a contiguous border with Jordan, and the capacity to form alliances with such regimes as Iraq and Iran. Israel cannot relinquish control over air space, strategic areas, and vital water resources, and [it] must retain security supervision over seaports and airports. Jerusalem, never the capital of any other nation, must stay Israel's undivided capital." ---Netanyahu, in an op-ed entitled "Looking Forward," Jerusalem Post, April 20, 1999
"The permanent agreement with the Palestinians has three dimensions. The first dimension is territorial: how much territory will be handed over to the Palestinians. This is a difficult dimension, but solvable. The second dimension is the dimension of power: the armament, the air and naval expanse, a reduction of the Palestinian force, the inspection over it. This is a more difficult dimension, but also it is solvable. The third dimension is the dimension of Jerusalem. I don't see a solution here, because I assess that the Palestinians will not agree to a solution 'Abu Dis style,' a solution which I am willing to buy." ---Netanyahu, speaking to leaders of the American Jewish Committee on March 15. Netanyahu later claimed that he made the last statement "jokingly." (Ma'ariv, March 23, 1999)
"There must be physical separation from the Palestinians, with us being here and them being there, in accordance with four security red lines . . . We need peace and separation on the ground. Jerusalem will remain united under Israel's sovereignty forever. Period. Second, there will be no return to the 1967 borders on any account. Third, there will be no foreign army west of the Jordan River. Fourth, most of the Israeli settlers in Judaea and Samaria will be clustered in large settlement blocs." ---Barak on Israel Television's Channel 1, December 27, 1998 (FBIS-NES-98-361, December 28, 1998)
"There will be no return to the 1967 borders. Israel will examine the interests of the Palestinians -- including their desire for a state -- solely in the framework of negotiations . . . The establishment of a Palestinian army will be avoided in the final status . . . The Jordan River will constitute Israel's eastern security border which no Arab army shall cross . . . Israel will strive toward establishing settlement blocs under Israeli sovereignty and to ensure territorial contiguity between them and Israel." ---Center Party platform, online (in Hebrew) at http://www.hamercaz.org.il
Lebanon and Syria:
"It is no secret that my government is very interested in ending our presence in Lebanon. And the proof is that we have accepted UN Resolution 495. It is obvious to everybody that we are serious and that we are determined to leave Lebanon. However, we will leave after we make security arrangements." ---Netanyahu, interviewed in the London-based Arabic newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat, January 18, 1999 (FBIS-NES-99-018, January 18, 1999)
"I don't want to deceive anyone that there is an immediate solution here, but we are certainly examining the various options and we will find a way to leave Lebanon -- but only in a manner that will enable us to continue to protect Israel's northern border . . . Our soldiers' spirit and determination will help us in the end to reach an arrangement that will enable us to leave Lebanon responsibly, cautiously, and with honor." ---Netanyahu, quoted in Ha'aretz, February 24, 1999
"I promise you that if we create the next government we will be out of Lebanon by June 2000, with security assurances, and deep into talks with Syria." ---Barak, quoted in the New York Times, March 6, 1999
"It is necessary to find a way to defend Israel's interests and to reach an arrangement with the Syrians. This is how we will solve the problem of Lebanon. This is a deep and fundamental solution rather than a superficial solution with an eye to next week's polls." ---Barak, interviewed on Israel Television Channel 1's "The Saturday Game," (FBIS-NES-98-360, December 26, 1998)
"The goal is to reach peace with the Syrians through compromise on the Golan Heights, a cease fire in Lebanon coupled with an IDF withdrawal, a transference of responsibility to the Lebanese army, and the creation of a new strategic situation in the north with territorial compromise on the Golan . . . Israel will demand a complete cease fire by Hizbullah and other hostile elements in the area during negotiations." ---Mordechai, speaking at a Center Party press conference, quoted in Ma'ariv, March 25, 1999
"When I talk about compromise, I mean renewing the dialogue with Syria, while maintaining our security and national interests in the Golan. I also mean a territorial compromise while standing firm on Israel's security needs and national interests and through this to achieve a dialogue on Lebanon and change the situation in Lebanon." ---Mordechai, quoted in Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), February 5, 1999
Compiled by Assaf Moghadam.
Policy #207
