Embassy Briefing
March 29, 2002

1. Since the beginning of the latest wave of Palestinian violence in September 2000, over 400 Israelis have been killed. Of these, about 50 have been killed since the arrival of American peace envoy Anthony Zinni on March 14, 2002.

2. While Israel has done everything possible to ease the tensions, the Palestinians have done everything in their power to strike at Israel's must vulnerable spots, at the most sensitive and sacrosanct moments. The Palestinian terrorists explicitly target innocent- families attending the traditional Passover Seder meal, young people at a discotheque or a cafe and mothers with their babies at Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations. The examples of such atrocities are too many to list. These are not chance or sporadic attacks, but rather, a calculated and cold-blooded campaign aimed at destroying any possibility of achieving calm and ending the violence.

3. Israel has done everything in its power to achieve a ceasefire and to promote the success of the Zinni mission. It waived the requirement for seven days of calm prior to beginning negotiations, withdrew forces from `A' areas, displayed restraint in its military response to terrorist attacks, and initiated the establishment of a committee of senior representatives all in order to promote dialogue. However, the Palestinian answer to these steps was a total lack of action to stop the terrorism, an escalation of the violence and murder, and worst of all, an official stamp of approval for continued terrorist attacks against Israel.

4. The Palestinian terrorists violate all norms of morality, human decency and international law. They employ ambulances in their attacks while demanding immunity for emergency vehicles, murder international observers in cold blood, use mosques and places of worship to incite hatred and violence, desecrate sites holy to other faiths, systematically abuse human rights in the areas under their control, publish the vilest anti-Semitic incitement in their official media, educate their young children to hate Jews, extol violence and worship suicide-murderers, and repeatedly violate declared obligations and signed agreements.

5. The occasional calling for a ceasefire -- not as a positive response to Israeli confidence building measures, but merely as a declarative measure aimed at dulling Israel's ability to respond to terrorist atrocities -- has become one of Arafat's standard ploys. Rather than striving to achieve a genuine ceasefire, the Palestinians take advantage of the positive Israeli gestures to reorganize, smuggle or manufacture banned weapons, plan future terrorist attacks and carry them out. The media has presented Arafat's statement last night as a declaration of a unilateral ceasefire. Such statements by Arafat are always a dollar short and a day late. He merely declared his willingness to work to achieve a ceasefire if his preconditions are met. This declaration, as those in the past, was made due to a compelling need to appear compliant, rather than a true willingness to achieve calm.

6. The actions taken by Israel today are a result of its loss of faith in Arafat. The Palestinian Authority and its leader bear full responsibility for the murderous terrorism, which, due to the PA's approval and guidance, continues to claim the lives of innocent Israeli victims.

7. The suicide bomber who perpetrated the Passover Massacre was on the list of wanted terrorists, a person Israel repeatedly requested that the PA arrest. He was previously released from a Palestinian jail, despite Israel's warnings. His release by the PA is tantamount to his being sent on his horrific suicide mission by the PA itself.

8. Numerous fatal terrorist attacks have been carried out by members of the mainstream PLO Fatah faction and its subsidiary organs. All of these individuals and groups are directly subordinate to Yasser Arafat. Arafat has done nothing to prevent his subordinates from carrying out terrorist attacks against Israel. The leader of organizations that carry out terrorist attacks against Israel can only be described as Israel's enemy.

9. While the PA and its leaders talk about ending the violence, their actions continue the violence. Their words have served as a smokescreen to gain time to regroup and renew their attacks. Israel will no longer pay attention to Arafat's declarations, but will instead judge him only upon his actions. Israel, for its part, will continue to combat terrorism, striking at the terrorist infrastructure in ongoing and unrelenting operations. Israel will be present anywhere it deems necessary, as long as it deems necessary, in order to prevent terrorists from preparing and carrying out attacks against its citizens. 10. Israel's goal is neither to retake the PA-controlled areas nor to physically harm Yasser Arafat. Israel remains committed to its pursuit of a dialogue leading to a peace agreement. Israel's hand remains outstretched in peace, and when the conditions are ripe, and terrorism has ceased, Israel will return to the negotiating table with the purpose of achieving a genuine end to the violence followed by the establishment of true peace.

A new phase in the war against terrorism Remarks by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon

A new phase in the war against terrorism Remarks by Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer

Moshe Fox
Minister for Public Affairs
Embassy of Israel,Washington,DC