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Ambassador's Forum, Ben Gurion University
Introduction
Notwithstanding its current economic prosperity and military strength, Israel continues to face serious challenges to its existence. Iran's President openly calls for wiping Israel off the map, and Hamas leader Khalid Mish'al stubbornly refuses to accept that Israel has a right to exist. The same ideology of hate and destruction that threatens Israel also threatens Europe and the U.S., but Israel is situated at the locus of this ideology, and indeed serves as a lightening rod for it. When you add to this mix Iran's drive to develop nuclear weapons, the serious nature of the challenges to Israel's security becomes clear. The Israeli-Palestinian Dispute To set the stage for your questions, please allow me to share some insights with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, the recent conflict with Hizballah in Lebanon, as well as the roles of Iran, Iraq, and Syria in the Middle East region. The United States remains steadfastly committed to Israel's security and President Bush's vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace. When President Bush met with Palestinian President Abbas in September in New York City, he emphasized that the Palestinians need a government with which we and others in the international community can work that is, one that has recognized Israel's right to exist, abandoned violence and terrorism, and agreed to respect all previously signed Israeli-Palestinian agreements. The United States stands ready to renew engagement and assistance to a PA truly committed to peace. In this regard, actions will speak louder than words, but we must hear the words too. Just this past weekend, Secretary Rice visited Ramallah and Jerusalem in response to the President's mandate as he announced at the UN on September 14 to lead a diplomatic effort to engage moderate leaders across the region, to help the Palestinians reform their security services, and to support Israeli and Palestinian leaders in their efforts to resolve their differences. This was her third trip to Israel in less than 100 days. Her mission here was to seek the views of the parties on how to realize President Bush's vision of a two-state solution. Here's how he described this vision before the General Assembly, "I am committed to two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security. I am committed to a Palestinian state that has territorial integrity and will live peacefully with the Jewish state of Israel. This is a vision set forth in the Roadmap and helping the parties reach this goal is one of the great objectives of my presidency." As the Secretary said on January 13 in Jerusalem, "for both the Palestinian and Israeli people, two states living side by side in peace is not just a dream, it is something we must make a reality." She came to the region to ask both Israelis and Palestinians for their views on how to make real progress. The United States believes that a negotiated permanent status agreement best serves both the Israelis and the Palestinians, and the cause of peace. Accordingly, we continue to urge Israel and the Palestinians to meet their Roadmap obligations, and to avoid taking steps that could be viewed as predetermining the outcome of permanent status negotiations. This means that the Government of Israel must halt expansion of settlements and fulfill its bilateral commitment to President Bush to dismantle illegal outposts. At the same time, the Palestinians must put a stop to terror attacks, including Qassam rocket attacks on Sderot and other Negev communities, and create a PA government that accepts the three principles articulated by the Quartet (this group includes the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations). We are encouraged by the cease-fire endorsed Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas in late November and by the positive atmosphere during the December 23 meeting of the two leaders. We fully recognize how fragile this agreement and these contacts are. We commend Israel for its restraint in responding to rocket attacks from Gaza, which impact communities only a short distance from where we are now meeting. We fully support President Abbas's efforts to build an effective and professional security force. Our US Security Coordinator, LTG Keith Dayton leads a multinational team of dedicated military professionals that is working on plans to assist this critical undertaking. We will further assist the effort with training and non-lethal equipment. We will not provide arms or ammunition, however. During her recent visit, the Secretary of State had very open discussions with Israeli leaders about their willingness to move forward with the Palestinians. We were encouraged by the Prime Minister's November 27 speech at Sde Boker, in which he told the Palestinians that they stand on "the brink of an historic crossroad" and reiterated that Israel is willing to be their partner in peace. He offered to conduct a dialogue with Abu Mazen on an independent Palestinian state once there is a Palestinian Government reflecting the Quartet principles, expressed willingness to release Palestinian prisoners after Cpl. Shalit is freed, and discussed ways to improve the Palestinians' standard of living following the end of terror attacks. The Secretary has also held encouraging discussions with moderate Arab states. As we speak, Secretary Rice is continuing her travels, which also included regional stops in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, to Berlin and London. Many countries have made clear they're willing to contribute the diplomatic and financial assistance necessary for peace. Despite all of these efforts, Hamas leader Khalid Mish'al stubbornly refuses to accept the Quartet principles. The kidnappings of Israeli troops, by Hamas in June and Hizballah in July, have hampered progress toward the President's vision of a two-state solution. However, there really is no attractive alternative to the progress that the President seeks. Nature abhors a vacuum and always seeks to fill it. That is true in the political world as well as in the natural world. And, in the Middle East violence always seems to fill a political vacuum. As the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, I believe it is my responsibility to look for ways to make progress even in the absence of a Palestinian Authority Government with which we can work. It seems to me that there are steps Israel can take vis-?-vis the Palestinians that could greatly improve the quality of life for ordinary citizens without entailing any great cost or important concession from Israel. We see several win-win opportunities that we are encouraging the Government of Israel to explore. For example, the Israeli Government has expressed support for the security plan for the Karni crossing prepared by LTG Dayton's team and the U.S. Agency for International Development in conjunction with Palestinian and Israeli experts. Karni is a critical "door to the world" through which Palestinian trade is conducted. Extremists in Gaza seek to close this door, while Israel wants to minimize risks to its security/border personnel. U.S. and Israeli officials are also engaged in discussions to implement all aspects of the Agreement on Movement and Access, which Secretary Rice negotiated over one year ago. The "AMA," as we call it, succeeded in securing the opening of the Rafah crossing linking Gaza to Egypt, but, following the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in June of last year, the crossing has been frequently closed. We have been working with all the parties, including LTG Pistolese, who head's the EU's Border Assistance Mission, to find ways to restore the crossing to normal operations in a manner that fully respects Israel's security needs and Palestinian humanitarian needs. The AMA also addressed "obstacles to the freedom of movement" of Palestinians living in the West Bank. We believe that many obstacles can be removed, which would have the positive effect of improving the quality of life in West Bank towns and villages. We are pleased with the steps that have begun pursuant to the December 23 Abbas/Olmert meeting and are engaged in an active Unfortunately, by continuing to detain CPL Shalit, the militants from Hamas are also holding hostage possible further Israeli initiatives to improve daily life in Gaza and the West Bank. For our part, we continue to insist that CPL Shalit should be released immediately. Lebanon The Palestinian issue is not the only challenge facing Israel. Perhaps no other regional event this year has better demonstrated the interlocking pieces of Middle East peace including the struggle between Arab reformers and extremists, the importance of effective and democratically controlled security forces in the region, and negative foreign influences than this summer's war in Lebanon. We are still witnessing the aftermath of this conflict, as Hizballah brazenly seeks to bring down the democratically-elected government of PM Siniora. My first Ambassadorship began in Lebanon more than a decade ago. Six weeks after I arrived in Beirut, Hizballah sparked an outbreak of violence that resulted in the Israeli military operation known as Grapes of Wrath. Therefore, it pained me a great deal to witness the hostilities this summer, which began with Hizballah's kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers on July 12. Before it was over, some 110 Israeli soldiers and 43 Israeli civilians died in the conflict. Nearly 1200 Lebanese, roughly half of them civilians, were killed. Economic losses in the billions of dollars were recorded on both sides. Environmental damage in the form of oil slicks in Lebanon and forest fires in Israel constituted yet another cost of this war. On August 14, UN Security Council Resolution 1701 brought the conflict to a halt. Although we share Israel's concerns that it is far from perfect, we believe that UNSCR 1701 represents a significant step towards restoring Lebanon's sovereignty. Assisted by an enhanced UNIFIL, Lebanese soldiers now patrol the border for the first time in almost 40 years. To help the Siniora government President Bush authorized $230 million in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance for persons affected by the conflict in Lebanon from Tripoli in the north to Tyre in the south. Much of this assistance has already been disbursed. Although press reports invariably tout the financial largesse of Hizballah and its social welfare network, I want to assure you that we have not ceded the battle for Lebanese hearts and mind to them. After Grapes of Wrath, the U.S. quadrupled its then aid to Lebanon and I helped establish a permanent USAID office in our Embassy, which set up a pioneering program to offer assistance to clusters of villages throughout Lebanon. As a result, a network of experienced and dependable NGOs is present and active in Lebanon, including in the South. All our humanitarian relief and reconstruction efforts are designed to support the underlying goals of Security Council Resolution 1701: changing the unstable status quo that precipitated the conflict, strengthening Lebanon's sovereign, democratic government, and ensuring lasting peace and security for the entire region. Iran Most of the international community has been shocked and revolted by the discourse of the current Iranian president, who routinely denies the Holocaust and calls for Israel's destruction. As a result, Iran's nuclear program deeply alarms Israelis, who consider it an existential threat. Of course, the program is a potential threat not only to Israel, but to the entire international community, especially Europe and other states in the Middle East region. If there is a silver lining in this troublesome situation, it is that Iran's bellicosity, including Ahmadinejad's attempts to mobilize Arab publics against their leaders, is alarming leaders of moderate Arab states as well. This may well create opportunities worth exploring to promote cooperation between Israel and those states on a variety of issues. The Chapter VII resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council late last year is an important step in efforts to convince Iran that it must relinquish its pursuit of a nuclear weapon. While its provisions are far from perfect, they represent a growing realization by other states that Iran has thus far failed to comply with the will of the international community. Iraq On January 10, the President outlined a new way forward in Iraq. This strategy is rooted in six fundamentals: 1) let the Iraqis lead; 2) help the Iraqis protect the population; 3) isolate extremists; 4) create space for political progress; 5) diversify political and economic efforts; and 6) situate the strategy in a regional approach. As the former Ambassador to Kuwait, Ambassador Bremer's deputy in Baghdad for seven and a half months, and the Secretary of State's former Senior Advisor on Iraq Policy in Washington, I can assure you of the wisdom of such a strategy. The new approach contains important security, political, economic and regional aspects. For example, it contains provisions to increase personal security in Baghdad, disband militias, increase support for Iraqi moderates, create new jobs, and create a forum of states in the region that can help. Secretary Rice discussed these aspects in-depth with regional leaders during her travels this week. Syria Following statements by several Israeli cabinet members and the Syrian President, as well as the recent report by the Iraq Study Group, the media has been full of speculation on the role of Syria in the region. I'm sure this will intensify after the front page story in Ha'aretz yesterday. Some have suggested that the U.S. is preventing Israel from negotiating with Syria. I do not believe that this is the case. I would note, however, that Syria has yet to match its actions to Asad's repeated offers to negotiate. As long as Syria arms, supplies and provides safe havens to terrorist organizations, the United States, and I believe Israel, will doubt the sincerity of its professed "peaceful" intentions. In addition, we are alarmed at indications that Syria continues to work with Hizballah to destabilize the democratically-elected government of Lebanon and that Syria is not abiding by the embargo on unauthorized weapons shipments imposed by UNSCR 1701. Conclusion In closing, I'd like to remind you that President Bush has said that that "the challenge playing out across the broader Middle East is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of our time." The United States believes that the most realistic way to protect ourselves is to provide an alternative to the hateful ideology of the enemy by advancing liberty across a troubled region. The United States remains committed to working with those who can rise to these challenges and who have the courage to reject a stalemate and polemics. Thank you for your attention. The floor is now open for your questions. |
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