Embassy of Israel Briefing
June 27, 2002

Israeli Response to President Bush’s Speech on the Middle East

The Israeli leadership commends President Bush on his speech, which focused on peace and security for all peoples in the Middle East.

President Bush illustrated his understanding of Israel’s war against terror and the need for a serious Palestinian peace partner in order to move past this dark chapter in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer have all publicly welcomed President Bush’s speech.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s office issued an official response to President Bush’s speech on Monday, June 24, 2002:

Israel is a country that desires peace. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said on numerous occasions that when there is a complete cessation of terror, violence and incitement, and when the Palestinian Authority enacts genuine reforms, including new leadership at the top, such that a different Authority is created, then it will be possible to discuss how to make progress on the political tracks.

In a statement to the European Union Ambassadors, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said that President George W. Bush's speech supports important strategic positions, including the unrelenting war on terrorism and the vision of two states for two people.

Foreign Minister Peres added that political dialogue must take place alongside the military action. He expressed the hope that a regional conference will convene in the near future. "If there will be no talks, only guns and bombs will speak"

Israeli Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer welcomed President Bush's speech and “view[ed] it as a historic milestone, which outlines a security, political and economic horizon for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer also stated that he believes that the key to implementing this horizon, in the words of President Bush, lies in the carrying out of basic reforms by the Palestinian side, centering on the replacement of the Palestinian Authority leadership, the renunciation of terror and incitement, and the establishment of transparent democratic processes. Progress in this direction will move forward the political process, which is the only way to end the conflict.

Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer believes that realizing the dream of two states, living alongside each other in peace and security, is a supreme Israeli interest. If we find an honest, peace-seeking, terror-free interlocutor on the other side, who is amenable to historic compromise, the Defense Minister would support very significant compromises for peace.

Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer is convinced that Israel - along with the pragmatic Arab states and other international bodies - will do everything in its power to assist the American efforts, in the spirit of President Bush's speech.

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