[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000-2001, Book III)]
[January 19, 2001]
[Pages 2959-2960]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Open Letter to the Palestinian People
January 19, 2001

Open Letter to the Palestinian People:
     On Saturday, January 20th at the stroke of noon, I will step down 
as President of the United States. As I look back upon my eight years in 
office, the experiences I have had and the lessons I have learned, one 
will stand out: my visit to Gaza, the first ever by a U.S. President. I 
will never forget what it taught me about your suffering, your history 
of dispossession and dispersal, but also about your resilience and 
courage. I said at the time that the Palestinian people should be able 
to determine their own future on their own land and I believe that as 
strongly now as I did then.
    These past eight years have not been easy ones for you. You face 
daily humiliations; you must struggle simply to find a job; worst of 
all, you continue to see too many children grow up in poverty. Peace, it 
is true, has not yet born its fruits. And so I understand the 
disillusionment, the frustration, even the anger.
     But do not lose sight of what you have achieved: The ability to 
govern yourselves, to elect your leaders, to build your institutions. As 
one who has seen you and Chairman Arafat work 
so hard to achieve your goals, allow me to say this: now is not the time 
to heed the voices of revenge and desperation, for they produce only 
bloodshed and death. Nothing you have accomplished has been accomplished 
through violence and nothing will be. It will only be accomplished 
through peace and negotiations. Now, more than ever, is the time for 
courageous leadership.
     For courage is not only, or even mainly, measured in struggle. It 
is measured in the ability to seize historic opportunities. Today, it is 
that other form of courage that is being tested. Never have you been as 
close to achieving your goals--regaining your land, establishing a 
state, building a prosperous future for your children. There will always 
be those sitting comfortably on the outside urging you to hold out for 
the

[[Page 2960]]

impossible more. But they are not the ones whose refugees will continue 
to languish in crowded camps. You are. They are not the ones whose 
children will grow up in poverty. You are. They are not the ones who 
will pay the price of missing a historic opportunity. You are. At Oslo, 
your leaders--and principally Chairman 
Arafat--demonstrated the courage needed to take the first historic step 
toward peace. By taking the final one, you will be able to fully realize 
your God-given potential and to pass on even brighter possibilities to 
your children.
     For my part, I remain convinced that despite these difficult and 
often tragic days, both you and your Israeli partners will find a way to 
move from the logic of war and confrontation to the logic of peace and 
cooperation. And that, together, you will bring peace to this Holy land, 
sacred to Moslems, Jews, and Christians alike.

                                                      William J. Clinton

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this letter.