Secretary of State Albright on Middle East Peace
Says Israelis, Palestinians have no alternative to living as
neighbors
(The following article by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was
published in the October 15 Washington Post. No republication
restrictions.)
Breaking the Cycle of Violence
By Madeleine K. Albright
(The writer is U.S. secretary of state.)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's decision to invite President
Clinton, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Barak and King Abdullah of Jordan to a summit in Sharm el Sheikh may
provide a respite in the terrible confrontation that has unfolded
between Israelis and Palestinians. We must keep our expectations
realistic. At the same time, the summit offers an opportunity to take
steps to break the cycle of violence, to return life to normal and
create a pathway back to negotiations.
Looking back over the past two weeks of the worst Israeli-Palestinian
violence since Oslo, it is hard for me to believe that little more
than two months ago we stood at Camp David hopeful of an agreement on
all permanent status issues. The quick descent from diplomacy to
violence has convinced many that Israelis and Palestinians can never
be partners, that any possibility of peace between them is an illusion
and that the entire Oslo process was based on deeply flawed
assumptions now cracked and broken in the streets of Gaza, Ramallah
and Nablus. Unquestionably, the scars of the past week will not heal
easily or quickly. But giving up on peace leads nowhere. There are
opportunities for progress and the United States will continue to
assist the parties in any way it can. The United States is operating
on the basis that we have an indissoluble link with Israel and that we
recognize the legitimate political rights of the Palestinian people.
Despite the events of recent days, Israelis and Palestinians know they
have no alternative but to coexist as neighbors. Sooner or later they
know they must find a way back to cooperation and accommodation. The
same forces of history and geography that compelled Israelis and
Palestinians into an uneasy partnership, and the same hopes and fears
that led the two sides from Madrid to Oslo and then to Camp David have
not changed. The United States has approached the current crisis with
these facts in mind. Three goals have guided our policy since the
crisis began.
First, there must be an end to the violence and restoration of calm.
Last week in Paris, Prime Minister Barak, Chairman Arafat and I worked
out a set of security procedures to end the violence, defuse potential
flash points and enhance communication between security professionals.
Israelis and Palestinians have demonstrated in the past an ability to
cooperate closely and practically on security issues. They need to
return to that cooperation now, and we are prepared to assist them in
any way we can.
Second, there needs to be a fair and honest effort to look into the
causes of the recent violence with the primary objective of preventing
a recurrence. The United States has offered to develop a fact-finding
commission which, in consultation with others in the international
community, would carry out such a mission. A fact-finding study would
also allow each side to be heard and to understand the perspective of
the other, and might help to ameliorate the deep sense of grievance on
each side.
Third, there must be a pathway back to negotiations and a resumption
of efforts to reach an agreement on permanent status. I realize at the
moment this goal seems illusory. Israelis feel betrayed. Having made
historic decisions for peace, they watched as rifles were turned
against them, their soldiers were murdered and their holy sites were
desecrated. And Palestinians feel victimized, powerless and believe
that their lives count for little. They have suffered immensely with
100 of their own killed and thousands wounded -- among them many
children -- and lives shattered by the use of deadly force.
Nonetheless, the only way to address the underlying roots of conflict
and grievance is through negotiation in an environment free from the
use of violence, pressure and intimidation. At the same time both
sides also need to understand there can be no perfect justice. Each
must be prepared to reconcile the other's needs and interests with its
own. And President Clinton and I will continue to do everything we can
to facilitate that process.
An extraordinary beginning was made at Camp David. Those discussions
transformed the landscape of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations,
provided new openings on every issue and enabled the two sides to
explore the most difficult issues: territory, security, refugees and
Jerusalem, in unprecedented scope and detail. Sooner or later, the
Israelis and Palestinians will have to return to that effort. Indeed,
if they are truly to achieve an end to the conflict, then these
difficult and sensitive issues cannot be ignored; they will need to be
resolved. Clearly there are no guarantees that Israelis and
Palestinians can bridge the gaps on these sensitive issues,
particularly in the aftermath of this crisis. But there is also no
doubt that only through negotiations can they achieve that objective
and a mutually acceptable vision of the future.
This past week, we have been given a glimpse of the future in the
absence of a shared vision: a future of streets filled with children
dying and soldiers being murdered, and skies filled with stones,
helicopters and hate. The challenge for us all is to find a way to
stop the killing, and begin again the effort -- advanced at Camp David
-- to achieve a secure and lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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