Ariel Sharon, Israel’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, called for a Western-sponsored anti-terrorist force, led by the United States, to respond to terrorist attacks.
“Britain, France and other Western democracies, working closely with the United States, must add the threat of military action to political and economic sanctions against terrorist groups and governments that permit or encourage them to operate,” Sharon told a meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
“The free world cannot ever compromise with terror but must take direct action to punish it and thus deter ti,” he said.
ISSUE OF THE OCCUPIED AREAS
Sharon, former Defense Minister of Israel, also dealt with a number of other issues during a 90-minute briefing and question-and-answer session. In response to a question dealing with current efforts by American businessmen who are planning to raise money for investments in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in order to improve the “quality of life” for Palestinian Arabs, Sharon said:
“Those Americans … may not be aware of the unbelievable progress in these areas since Israel liberated them in 1967. I wish that Israel of the pre-1967 borders had enjoyed the development and prosperity that has come to Judaea, Samaria and the Gaza District.”
Continuing, Sharon said: “The Palestinian Arabs are a capable people. It is of course important to improve their quality of life — what is wrong with that? — but not if such efforts lead to a second Palestinian state, the first being Jordan …. There must and shall be no boundaries between Judaea, Samaria and the Gaza District, one one hand, and pre-1967 Israel, on the other.
“There can be no independent economic system in Judaea, Samaria and Gaza, for any such system would ruin our economy and pave the way for a second Palestinian state that would pose a mortal danger to Israel. Judaea, Samaria and Gaza will always be part of Israel. I am not talking about nor de I envisage annexation of these areas. Let the Palestinian Arabs remain citizens of Jordan. But Israel must be responsible for internal and external security.”
DEALING WITH ISRAEL’S ECONOMIC CRISIS
On the issue of Israel’s economic crisis, Sharon said that inflation cannot be fought by raising unemployment. “For us it is a moral question and a military one,” he said. “Widespread inflation could lead to emigration, and we don’t want to lose a single citizen. And the Arabs might be encouraged to think that they could defeat us. Many believe that the 1966 recession and the wave of emigration that followed encouraged the Arabs to start the 1967 war. I see no possibility that the Arabs could defeat us in a war — but we want to deter them from starting one.”
Sharon pointed out that the current national unity government will last only as long as it concentrates on Israel’s economic problems, which in fact can be dealt with effectively only by such a wall-to-wall coalition.
Touching on other elements of the economic situation, Sharon said that linking Israel’s currency to the dollar or to a basket of European currencies — perhaps for several years — would strengthen the Shekel and thus help reduce inflation. “We must make it impossible to print new money,” he said.
In addition, he stated, all or most government-owned businesses should be sold and the proceeds used “not to subsidize the price of food but to invest in productive industry in development areas.”
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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.
