    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [May 30, 1996]
    [Pages 828-829]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Israeli Elections and an Exchange With Reporters
    May 30, 1996

        The President. Good morning. My goodness, the sun is out. I'd like
    to make just a couple of brief comments about the election in Israel
    last night.
        First of all, it was a cliffhanger. A lot of us were up late waiting
    for the returns, but I want to just make a couple of points. The United
    States--first, we don't know how--we don't have final returns. We have
    to wait for the postal ballots to be cast, counted.
        Whatever the results, the United States will continue its policy of
    support for the people of Israel, for the democratic process there, and
    for the process of peace. And our policy will be the same. If Israel is
    prepared to take risks for peace, we are determined to do our best to
    reduce the risks and increase the security of those who do that.
        I was especially encouraged in the closing days of the campaign that
    both parties and both candidates expressed, in different ways, but still
    a clear commitment to continue the peace process. So that is my hope;
    that's what I hope will come out of this election. And we'll all just
    have to sit now and wait until the final ballots are counted.
        Q. Do you believe Mr. Netanyahu would not restart settlements in the
    West Bank, would not go ahead with negotiations with Syria? There's a
    dramatic difference in his approach.
        The President. Well, there's been a difference in what they say
    their approaches are, but I was actually quite interested in the
    comments that he made about this, particularly in the last days of the
    election. I think we have to wait and see.
        I would first of all say, let's wait until all the ballots are in,
    until we see who voted how and what the final outcome is. But the first
    big leg of the whole process of peace in the Middle East was completed
    by one of Mr. Netanyahu's Likud predecessors. So we just have to wait
    and see.
        They certainly have a lively, interesting democracy. And they showed
    it again yesterday, and the rest of us should support that. And I would
    hope that we would have that kind of turnout in our country this
    November. I hope that percentage of our voters shows up. I think they
    had over two-thirds of the overall voters turn out. And I hope that--and
    maybe even higher.
        They have made their decision. Now we have to wait for a while to
    see what it is. And then afterward they will have to chart a course, and
    then we'll see where we go from there.
        Q. Do you want results that close?
        The President. No. I hope they won't be that close, but I hope that
    we'll have that many people voting. I like the turnout. And I like

    [[Page 829]]

    the vigorous involvement. I like the debate. I thought it--you know, it
    was a very stimulating thing for them and, you know, it was a difficult,
    challenging election for the people of Israel and, you know, we'll see.
    I think all of us who watched the returns last night and watched the
    reports coming in were impressed by the vigor of the democracy and by
    the determination to participate. And now, you know, they have a very
    diverse society, and they're trying to find ways to integrate all the
    various elements of their society. It was very impressive to me what
    happened.
        And so I'm going to wait for the votes to come in and a winner to be
    declared and the government to be announced, and then we'll see where we
    go from there.
        Press Secretary Mike McCurry. Thank you, Mr. President.
        The President. Thank you.
        Q. Mr. President, does the closeness of the vote make it difficult
    for anyone to lead? What is the message?
        The President. Let's wait a while. Let's see what the vote is, and
    we'll see what the message is. I don't want to be an instantaneous
    commentator, but I'll think some more about it and see if I can answer
    that question.
        Q. How late were you up?
        The President. Until I found out what all the counted votes were
    last night, about 1 o'clock.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:20 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House, prior to his departure for New Orleans, LA. In his remarks, he
    referred to Binyamin Netanyahu, Likud Party candidate for Prime Minister
    in Israel.