    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [December 23, 1997]
    [Pages 1821-1822]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Hanukkah Celebration and an Exchange With Reporters
    December 23, 1997

        The President. Hello, everybody. Before we light the menorah, I'd
    like to make a brief statement. First of all, I'd like to welcome the
    Jewish Primary Day School students here and their principal, Susan Koss.
    I'd like to thank Mayrim Baram, who is not here, who lives in Israel,
    who did this magnificent, magnificent menorah for us. It's very, very
    beautiful. Dr. Amatzia Baram, his son, and Mrs. Baram are in the
    audience today, and through them, I'd like to thank his father for this
    really beautiful menorah. I will treasure it always. And it's been up in
    the White House during the holiday season, so many people have come in
    here and have seen it.
        This evening I join the rest of the country in wishing you a happy
    Hanukkah. Tonight Jews across America and the world are celebrating the
    victory of the Maccabees over their oppressors and the Miracle of Lights
    that marked their triumph. This joyous holiday also reminds us of our
    precious right to religious freedom, a right we all hold dear as
    Americans, a right that is the very first one written into our Bill of
    Rights. Like the Maccabees, we must vigilantly oppose religious
    prejudice whenever we find it.
        I know that your teachers and rabbis have instilled in you the
    values of compassion, justice, and tolerance. And if you have courage to
    follow those values, you can be the Maccabees of our time.
        This year we will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
    creation of the modern State of Israel, the land where the miracle of
    Hanukkah occurred such a long time ago. But our prayers to God this
    holiday will be for peace in the land of Israel, for the tranquility of
    its people, for a bright and hopeful future for all the children of the
    Middle East, children that are very much like you.
        Now as Danny Lew lights the menorah, I wish you all once again a
    very happy Hanukkah.
        Danny.

    [At this point, Danny Lew lit the menorah.]

    Health Care Task Force Civil Case

        Q. Mr. President, can we--if we have time for just one question. A
    Federal judge the other day had some very tough words for Ira Magaziner.
    But so far there's been no public comment from the White House. It seems
    like if that accusation was unfair, Mr. Magaziner is entitled to a
    public defense. And if it was fair, the public is entitled to an
    explanation of why somebody on the White House staff might mislead a
    judge.
        The President. First of all, it's a fair question, but because of
    what we've been doing the last few days and because of what we've been--
    the holiday season, I honestly haven't read the judge's opinion, nor
    have I asked anyone on the staff for a response to it. So I'd like to
    ask you to just give me a pass until tomorrow or so. I'll be happy to
    answer it, but I don't want to give you the wrong answer.
        I was a little skeptical when I read the news story, because I
    believe I know what the facts were, so I was quite skeptical when I read
    the news story. But I think it's a very fair question; we should answer
    the question. I just don't think I'm prepared to do it now. And I'll be
    ready tomorrow. I'll ask someone, and you can ask me tomorrow.

    [[Page 1822]]

    Middle East Peace Process

        Q. Mr. President, what about the Middle East peace process? Is it
    going to take--Hanukkah celebrates--it's a celebration of miracles; what
    is it going to take to rekindle the Middle East peace process?
        The President. Well, I'm actually quite hopeful. I think, first it
    takes a reaffirmation to the process of peace, which means that there
    should be a high level of security associated with the process itself.
    And I think there's general belief that the Palestinian Authority has
    redoubled its efforts on security. The Israeli Cabinet has seemed to
    adopt the position that said that they would be for another withdrawal
    consistent with the Oslo accords. There appears to be other discussion
    in Israel over the questions, the long-delayed questions about the
    airport and the port and the safe transit from the West Bank to Gaza.
        So I'm actually quite hopeful that in the coming year we'll have
    progress not only between the Israelis and Palestinians but also between
    Israel and Syria. I think the openness is there, and I think that many
    people are sobered by the consequences of the absence of a viable peace
    process. So maybe it's just the holiday season, but I'm feeling pretty
    upbeat about it.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:25 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Mayrim Baram, an Israeli who lost
    a son in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, his surviving son, Amatzia Baram, and
    his daughter-in-law, Bonnie Baram Belkin; Susan Koss, director, and
    Danny Lew, student, Jewish Primary Day School of the Adas Israel
    Synagogue; and U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth.