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American Morning
Ariel Sharon Addresses American-Israel Public Affairs Committee
Aired April 23, 2002 - 07:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We quickly dip into Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel addressing the America's pro-Israel lobby, which is called the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee -- let's all listen.
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ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: ... September 11 has forever changed our lives. Now, everyone recognizes the danger of terrorism. Life, liberty and freedom can no longer be taken for granted.
We appreciate and applaud President Bush and the American people in their relentless worldwide campaign against terror. One thing which as not changed, however, is our appreciation of AIPAC. At this challenging hour, we need you more than ever.
We are grateful for your works throughout the year in every city, in every state. You help strengthen the friendship between Israel and the United States, a friendship based on the shared values of freedom, democracy and the sanctity of life. Being there only through democracy in the Middle East, Israel stands at the forefront of the conflict between the civilized world and the forces of evil.
Over the last 19 months, Israel has been engaged in a war against Palestinian terrorism a war that was imposed on us. This is a war of our homes and way of life. The very foundations of our freedom are under attack. The Israeli public is strong and determined to win this struggle. There can be no moral equivalency between acts of self defense against terror and terrorist actions. The two cannot and must not be equated. There is a world of difference between victims of terrorism and those who commit terror.
In Afghanistan, the United States is fighting terrorism. Sometimes innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire. Israel is fighting terrorism on our doorstep. We have a moral right and obligation to defend ourselves. Terrorists in Washington, Tel Aviv or any other place have no right to murder innocent civilians indiscriminately.
We have just completed the Operation Defensive Shield, and have been successful in uprooting terrorism in many towns and villages. We discovered illegal weapons, bomb factories and arrested many wanted terrorists. Most importantly, we dismantled the infrastructure of suicide bombers, thereby saving the lives of many Israelis, and demonstrating to other countries that it is possible to contain the ominous spread of this form of terrorism.
Once free of terror, we can move forward to implement the Tenet cease-fire agreement. We want to live in peace with our Palestinian neighbors, but they must first accept our right to live in our ancestral homeland in peace and security.
I am optimistic about the future. Operation Defense Shield has opened a window of opportunity to put the peace process back on a different, more realistic track. Free from the threat of terrorism, we can reach the threshold of a new horizon, one where a regional peace of within our grasp.
I have proposed a regional peace conference to achieve this goal. A regional peace conference sponsored by the United States can create the framework and modalities to bring about a cessation of hostilities. It can foster a coalition of countries committed to peace and able to contain the forces of terrorism and evil threatening our lives.
A regional peace conference would enable Israel to present its peace plan. This plan contains three phases. One, a complete cessation of violence, hostilities and especially incitement, which leads to violent terrorist acts; two, a long-term intermediate agreement similar to an armistice; and finally, three, a permanent agreement in which Israel's final borders and the Palestinians final borders will be established, ending the conflict between the United States, ending the conflict between us and the Palestinians and the Arab countries. This must be based on Israel's right to exist in secure borders and provide for normalized relations with all countries in the region.
I am very concerned about the global convergence of terrorism and anti-Semitism, which will be -- which is very alarming. Recent weeks have seen repeated attacks on synagogues and Jewish cemeteries (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and the blood (ph) libel of an alleged Israeli massacre in the Jenin refugee camp. Just today, we heard that Jews in Berlin were told not (ph) to remove any outward signs of their Jewishness for their own safety. Now, more than ever, we need you to join our effort in fighting these frightening phenomena.
We recently celebrated Yom Haatzmaut, Israel's 54th independence day, and I am proud of our achievements. We are a small country, but rich in talent in achievements. We have absorbed millions of immigrants since our creation in 1948. Today, Jews from all over the world are moving to Israel. The doors of Israel are open for any Jew who wants to live here. I invite you to join us. We need you here.
ZAHN: Once again, you have been listening to the prime minister of Israel address the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is America's pro-Israel lobbying group. Among other things, the prime minister expressed concern about a rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, in particular in Berlin, where he said that Jews have been asked to remove any outward signs of their Jewishness for their own protection. He also, I think, said more forcefully than he has ever said before that there is no moral equivalence between acts of self defense and acts of terrorism. He also referred to the more than year-long intifada as "engaging in a war that was imposed on us," referring to the Israelis.
He also said that he believes that this international framework that he supports might ultimately lead to peace between the Palestinians and Israelis, and he basically talked about a three-step plan, the first step being a complete cessation of the violence, followed by an interim agreement and then finally, followed by a long- term agreement that would firmly establish the borders of Israel.
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