Beneath a burning midday desert sun, on a hastily constructed plaza that had only weeks ago been a minefield, Israel and Jordan made peace Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordanian Prime Minister Abdul Salam al-Majali signed a peace treaty in the presence of some 5,000 spectators, with President Clinton acting as witness. Jordan’s King Hussein, Crown Prince Hassan and Israel’s President Ezer Weizman also presided over the ceremony.
The site, in the Arava desert straddling the Israeli-Jordanian border, was bedecked with flags, balloons and a banner proclaiming peace in three languages.
The mood was festive and hopeful, with speakers heralding the dawn of a new era in the relations of the two peoples and among all the nations in the region.
Nevertheless, in a sharp reminder of opposition to the accord, residents of the Galilee watched the ceremony from their bomb shelters, as shells from Lebanon fell near their homes. No injuries were reported.
The treaty, which was also initialed by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev, marked the second time that Israel has made peace with an Arab neighbor. Israel and Egypt signed a peace accord in 1979.
In many ways, Wednesday’s signing seemed a formal declaration of a de facto peace. This in light of the long history of secret contacts between Israel and Jordan, as well as the virtual state of non-belligerency that has existed between the two countries for the past two decades.
The warmth of the peace to come was reflected in the leaders’ remarks.
‘A NEW DAY HAS BEGUN’
Rabin and Hussein praised each other’s courage to pursue peace. They also drew on the surrounding desert landscape as a metaphor for the peace that will blossom between Israel and Jordan.
“This great valley in which we stand will become the valley of peace. When we come together to build it and to make it bloom as never before, when we come to live together as never before, we will be doing so, Israelis and Jordanians together, without the need for any to observe our actions or supervise our endeavors,” Hussein said.
Using the barren desert and minefields surrounding the site as symbols of the past relations between Israel and Jordan, Rabin said the birth of peace was a blessing for all.
“A dawn has broken this moment and a new day has begun. Babies were born in Jerusalem, and babies were born in Amman,” the prime minister said. “The peace that was born today gives us all the hope that the children born today will never know war between us, and their mothers will know no sorrow.”
Clinton also called on the desert imagery. “This vast bleak desert hides great signs of life,” he said.
“Today we see the proof of it, for peace between Jordan and Israel is no longer a mirage. It is real. It will take root in this soil. It will grow to great heights and shelter generations to come.”
Clinton also urged the two sides to continue the struggle against terror. “The forces of terror will try to hold you back. Already they take deadly aim at the future of peace and in their zeal to kill hope and keep hatred alive they would deny all that peace can bring to your children. We cannot, we must not, we will not let them succeed.”
Quoting from the Book of Matthew, Clinton said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall inherit the Earth.”
FALLEN SOLDIERS REMEMBERED
Both the Israeli prime minister and Jordanian king, who had previously led their countries in war, took care to honor those who had fallen in the battles between their countries.
In Israel on Wednesday, at Rabin’s behest, thousands of soldiers and schoolchildren marked the day of peace with an homage to those who had fallen in war.
They fanned out to 540 cemeteries throughout the country to lay wreaths on the graves of the 18,064 Israelis who have fallen in battle or terrorist attacks since the establishment of the state.
At the ceremony, Hussein said, “We will always cherish the memory and honor all those who have fallen over the years, from amongst all of our peoples.”
Prior to the ceremony, Clinton, Hussein, Rabin and the other dignitaries mingled in a carpeted goat’s hair tent, exchanging warm grins and handshakes.
The ceremony began with readings from the Koran and the Bible, and a minute’s silence in memory of the war dead of both countries.
An Israeli and Jordanian girl, each of whom lost a grandfather in Israeli-Jordanian wars, presented bouquets to the leaders.
“I’m very excited,” said 8-year-old Li Lotan, whose grandfather Giora was killed in the battle for Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War.
For some of the guests at the ceremony, the pain of losing a loved one in the Arab-Israeli conflict had not yet gained the distance of time. Among them was the father of Nachshon Waxman, who was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas members earlier this month.
“Nachshon, in his personality from the youngest age, hated fights, hated discord,” Yehuda Waxman told Israel Television. “If he were alive he would see this as a great day. At this moment I do not look back. I ask the whole nation to see this as a holiday.”
For Isaac Herzog, the 34-year-old son of Israel’s former President Chaim Herzog, the day brought back childhood memories of living through Jordanian shelling from Kalkilya during the Six-Day War.
“We stayed throughout the war in trenches. There were no (bomb) shelters then,” he said. “What different memories my children will have.”
Several American Jewish leaders were also present.
Lynn Lyss, chair of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council, said she was “overwhelmed” by the ceremony, which “proved that despite the terror, we will persevere. We have to go forward.”
Lyss was one of about 50 Jewish and Arab Americans invited to accompany the president to the region.
Traveling with the Arab Americans was “a marvelous and warm experience,” said Lyss. “I feel I’ve made new friends (and) it’s sad when I think we’ve been kept apart so long.”
Lyss said there was an interdenominational prayer service aboard the plane which was especially meaningful.
“It infused” the politics “with a sense of spirituality,” she said.
Nathan Sharony, president of Israel Bonds, said, “I made the trip from America especially for this. It’s a major step in the direction of eliminating the chain of hostility around us.
“Two links of the chain already have peace, Jordan and Egypt, and it puts us in a position to promise our children a better future,” Sharony said.
ARAFAT PLEDGES TO FIGHT TERROR
Lester Pollack, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, said, “The ceremony proves the peace process continues despite the desperate acts of terrorists to derail the train. The courage of the king of Jordan to press forward serves as a model.”
Also among the guests was former Likud Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who was warmly greeted by King Hussein after the ceremony.
“It was like a reunion of sorts,” Shamir later told Israel Radio. Asked why he went to the ceremony, he replied, “Just to see for myself.”
Following the ceremony, Rabin and Clinton had lunch with Hussein in Aqaba, Jordan. Clinton was to continue to Amman, where he was scheduled to address the Jordanian Parliament.
Parliament members opposed to the accord were boycotting the speech.
Earlier in the day, Clinton held talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat.
After the meeting, Clinton said he was satisfied with the PLO leader’s pledge to fight against terror, and against Hamas in particular.
Arafat was not invited to the ceremony in the Arava.
In the Gaza Strip, the PLO leader lashed out at the treaty, particularly for its recognition of Jordan’s historic role as guardian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
Shops were closed in the West Bank and Gaza in response to a strike called by the PLO and Hamas.
(JTA correspondent Naomi Segal in Jerusalem contributed to this report.)
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