Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin this week told an international group of Jewish legislators that he would not be deterred from his pursuit of peace, noting that there was no alternative but to continue his initiatives.
“Israel has two options,” he said. “To live in peace, or to continue living with threats of war, violence and terror. Unfortunately, there is no third option.”
But “we would like to see the defense line along the Jordan River,” he said, and not on the old West Bank borders.
Rabin made the remarks in his office Tuesday to a group of some 30 Jewish members of the parliaments of more than 20 different countries.
While Rabin spoke to the legislators of his government’s commitment to protect the settlers, he also referred to the strain “the whole structure” of Palestinian self-rule in the territories will place on the Israeli military because the settlements are so spread out in the West Bank.
Rabin warned that he anticipates a rise in the terrorist activities of Hamas and other Islamic rejectionist groups.
He said these attacks yield “the greatest dividend” to the opponents of the peace process because they succeed at “increasing public opposition to the (peace) agreement.”
The group of Jewish legislators was in Israel for the Third International Conference of Jewish Parliamentarians, which is sponsored by the Israeli Forum, an organization of Israelis working to strengthen ties between Israel and Diaspora Jews.
NEED TO FASHION A NEW DIALOGUE
The two communities have grown apart in recent decades, said Igal Brightman, chairman of the forum.
There is a danger, he said, that the peace process, by decreasing threats to Israel’s survival, “may contribute to our going further apart if we don’t (fashion) a new dialogue” and craft a new agenda.
The legislators later met with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who also addressed Islamic fundamentalism, calling it “a secular protest hidden in a religious cloak.”
He said the only way to combat fundamentalism is by raising the living standards of Palestinians living in the territories, noting that a major reason for the fundamentalists’ appeal lies in the marked poverty of Palestinian communities.
Peres also said he was confident the peace process is not overly dependent upon the leaders of the countries involved in the process.
“It does not depend upon leaders, it depends upon policies,” he said. “Leaders tend to exaggerate their own roles.”
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the sole U.S. legislator attending the conference, drew a distinction between the trips he makes to Israel as a member of U.S. congressional delegations and the Jewish parliamentarians conference.
“With a regular (U.S.) delegation, we are interested in the latest developments toward peace and the U.S.-Israel relationship.
“A gathering such as this, with Jewish members of parliaments worldwide, gives us the additional perspective of our connection to Israel and to the survival of Jews around the world,” said Waxman.
David Berger, a member of the Canadian Parliament, later said he was impressed by “the courage and even serenity” of Rabin and Peres in the face of their political challenges.
He also said he witnessed during his trip “how deeply divided” Israeli society seemed to be over the peace process.
“Even the people who are fairly supportive of it have their fears and concerns and wonder whether the government is going too fast and whether expectations have been too high,” he said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
