[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 10 (Monday, March 11, 1996)]
[Pages 409-410]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in Taylor on the Terrorist Attack in Israel and an Exchange With 
Reporters

March 4, 1996

    The President. I want to express my deep anger at the news of this 
latest bombing in Israel and to reaffirm the determination of the United 
States to do all we can to work with our friends in the Middle East to 
stop the killing, to bring the killers to justice, and ensure that 
terrorism does not triumph over peace in the Middle East.
    Once again the enemies of peace have murdered completely innocent 
Israeli citizens, including children, in their hysterical, determined, 
fanatic attempt to kill all hope of peace between Israel and 
Palestinians and others in the Middle East. We must again state our 
determination that these forces of terror shall not triumph.
    Together with those who have worked so hard for lasting peace in the 
Middle East, the United States is committed to confronting this 
challenge and to prevailing over these forces of hate and violence. As 
we offer our prayers for the victims of the latest tragedy, we also 
reaffirm our commitment to the peace.
    As I said earlier this morning and I would like to repeat again, it 
is ironic that I'm here in this community where I was slated to come 
last November but had to put it off to go to Israel for Prime Minister 
Rabin's funeral. The forces which led to his killing, as much as they 
claim to hate the forces that have been behind this latest round of 
bombing of innocent Israeli citizens, have one thing in common: They 
live for division. They live for the continuation of the violence and 
the hatred in the Middle East. They are even willing, as we see today, 
to kill themselves, members of their own groups, just to keep people 
living on hatred and division.
    We must not give in to that. We must fight it. We must fight it with 
all the resources at our command. And the United States will do 
everything we can to support Israel and the other friends of peace in 
the Middle East.
    Thank you.
    Q. Mr. President, are you convinced that Yasser Arafat has done all 
that he can to control Hamas? Many Israelis believe that he has just 
turned a blind eye and has talked about things, but not really done what 
needs to be done.
    The President. Because it is a relatively new government it may be 
impossible ever to know for sure. But I am convinced that he wants 
peace. And I am convinced that he will now answer the call that I have 
issued, that the Israeli Prime Minister has issued, that others have 
issued, to do more.
    And what I want to say to all my fellow Americans, what you are 
seeing here is an example of what has the potential to infect other 
countries all across the world. You saw it in the Japanese subway. You 
saw it in the Oklahoma City bombing. You see this going around the 
world, but it is more prevalent, more sustained, more well-organized in 
the Middle East. And there are people there really literally willing to 
die just to keep the division and the hatred and the violence going.
    I believe that Mr. Arafat will have to do more. I believe everyone 
else will have to do more. He will have to do everything he can up to 
the limits of whatever capacities they have, and the rest of us will 
have to do our part as well.
    Q. Have you talked to him?
    Q. To follow on that, sir, do you think the Israelis should exercise 
restraint and not retaliate?
    The President. I think that we will have to do--we have to stand 
with the proposition that those who are responsible for this should be 
held accountable for it. And we will do what we can to support them in 
that regard.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 12:02 p.m. at the department of public 
works.

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