Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir yesterday rejected what he termed the “dangerous trap” embodied in the “peace in exchange for territory” formula, saying, “No Jew has the right to give up or bargain over any part of Israel.”
“This formula is a trap designed to return us to the strangling lines of 1967, and we shall never return to that,” Shamir declared. “If any government in Israel goes out of its mind and agrees to give up territories for peace, there is no guarantee for peace. A smashed fragmented Israel will be easy prey to those who want to eliminate it.”
Shamir addressed the Knesset “West Bank and Gaza Strip Lobby” at a meeting of Central Committees of political parties which support Jewish settlement in the occupied territories. The meeting was attended by some 800 members of the Likud, Tehiya, Morshasha and other parties and West Bank settlement activists held at Kfar Hamaccabiah.
Also addressing the Knesset lobby meeting was Minister of Commerce and Industry Ariel Sharon and Housing Minister and Deputy Premier David Levy. Sharon came out strongly in support for Jewish settlement around all Arab towns and concentrations in the West Bank. He rejected peace negotiations with Jordan under present circumstances.
He warned against the “legitimization” of the Palestine Liberation Organization, complaining that Israel did not speak out clearly enough about its policy for Judaea, Samaria and Gaza, and talks of peace with Jordan meant recognition of PLO rights. He said King Hussein of Jordan does not act alone, but as an emissary for PLO chief Yasir Arafat.
Appealing for massive West Bank settlement, Sharon declared: “We must not leave in Judaea and Samaria a single concentration of Arab population without putting in its midst and around it a Jewish settlement. We don’t need anybody’s permission. We’re in the government.”
DIFFERENTIATES BETWEEN THE CAMPS
Levy, in his address, stressed the difference between the “national camp” loyal to the land of Israel and to defending it, and the “other camp.” He said, “This camp (the national camp) will prevent giving away parts of Israel to a foreign rule. There are those who believe that suggesting this will bring us closer to so-called peace. The enemy rejects and they offer again. We shall not allow this to happen.”
Levy said that this year West Bank settlement exceeded 50,000 people and promised that his ministry will continue the building and road construction process there, creating a direct road between the coastal plain and the Jordan Valley. The convention was the first meeting of its kind to be organized by the Knesset lobby in support of settlements in the West Bank.
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.
