Military

DATE=09-16-03

TYPE=INTERVIEW

NUMBER=3-791

TITLE=INDYK-MIDDLE EAST

BYLINE=DAVID BORGIDA

CONTENT=

INTRODUCTION

Ambassador Martin S. Indyk, Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, discusses the latest developments in the Middle East.

MR. BORGIDA

And now joining us from the Brookings Institution here in Washington, D.C., Ambassador Martin Indyk. He is the Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, and he is a former U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

Ambassador Indyk, thanks for being with us today.

AMBASSADOR INDYK

Thanks for having me.

MR. BORGIDA

Let's discuss events on the ground. We had a little discussion on history a moment ago. What's your comment, Ambassador, on this latest news that we received in our newsroom in the last couple of hours, and that is that the U.S. Government says it will withhold part of a $9 billion aid package to Israel because of those controversial settlement activities?

AMBASSADOR INDYK

Well, I think that that is consistent with the policy that various administrations have pursued, to deduct from loan guarantees given to help the Israeli economy that amount that Israel spends in the West Bank. Because it has been consistently U.S. policy since the Six Day War of 1967 not to support settlement activity in territories that we consider to be on the table for the negotiations that would lead to a final settlement.

MR. BORGIDA

Ambassador, we haven't had you on the program in a number of weeks, so I would like your reaction, if you will, to the current state of play regarding Yasser Arafat. Lots of controversy on that front and what to do with him and about him. What is your view about all this?

AMBASSADOR INDYK

Well, in my view, Arafat has failed his people. He's very much a part of the problem and no longer can be part of a solution. Because there simply isn't any Israeli political leader, from left to right, across the spectrum, that would be prepared to do a deal with him. Because they view him universally as a leader who does not live up to his commitments, so what's the point of making an agreement with him?

And of course that view is shared by President Bush here in Washington. So it's very hard to see how Arafat can be part of a solution now.

MR. BORGIDA

Ambassador Indyk, though, to be as balanced as we can, there are those critics of the Sharon government who say that Ariel Sharon, in their words, perhaps may be living in the past and is someone who has been preferring a military response to things. Is he perhaps part of the problem in your view?

AMBASSADOR INDYK

Well, he's part of the problem until and unless he takes a political initiative. He does have broad political support on the Israeli side. He's the only prime minister, past, present or, I would say, future, in Israel who is capable of stopping the settlement activity and, indeed, evacuating settlements. And he has talked about evacuating settlements. He volunteered that he would be prepared to do that in certain circumstances.

He knows that the Israeli electorate, 80 percent of them, want to be rid of this problem, want to be rid of the West Bank, as well as wanting to be rid of Yasser Arafat. But as long as the terrorism continues, he has an excuse not to respond.

So, at the heart of the matter is this question of leadership that you're pointing to. If you look back to the days of Carter, Sadat and Begin, what you had were three leaders who had the courage of their convictions to stand up to their people, tell them what needed to be done, speak the truth to them, and fulfill their obligations. Unfortunately, we don't have that at the moment. And until we have that kind of leadership on the Palestinian side and leadership in Israel that would respond to that leadership on the Palestinian side, and American engagement in the effort as President Carter did to try to make the deal, I think we're all bound to be stuck in this miserable situation.

MR. BORGIDA

Ambassador Martin Indyk, the Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution here in Washington. Ambassador, thank you for your time.

AMBASSADOR INDYK

Thank you.

(End of interview.)

NEB/PT