[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 18 (Monday, May 6, 1996)]
[Pages 749-754]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy 
Conference

April 28, 1996

    Thank you very much. Mr. Prime Minister, I just thought I was tired 
because it was late Sunday night. I never felt better in my life. Thank 
you very much.
    Mr. Prime Minister, Ambassador Rabinovich, Secretary Glickman, 
Ambassador Indyk. President Dow, thank you for that wonderful 
introduction. Mr. Grossman, Mr. Sher, Mr. Bronfman, Mr. Levy, to Jack 
Bendheim, who also gave a wonderful introduction; the cochairs of this 
event, Art Sandler and Betsy Sheer; to all the young students who are 
here.
    The Prime Minister referred on two occasions to the opportunity that 
I had on my last trip to Israel to meet with the young people there. It 
was an incredible experience for me. And I realized that in some ways we 
have to keep depending on young people to deliver us because they remind 
us that we can

[[Page 750]]

break new ground and make tomorrow different from yesterday.
    Just before the Prime Minister and I came in here tonight, we 
received petitions for peace signed largely by college students that 
were presented by Jonathan Epstein of Trinity College and Abigail 
Michelson of Brandeis, and I'd like to thank them. I think they're over 
here. I thank them very much for what they did for that.
    I would also like to say a special word of thanks to the Members of 
Congress who are here who have supported our administration's policies 
in the Middle East. If I miss someone whom I do not see, write me a 
nasty note tomorrow. [ Laughter] But I would like to say a special word 
of thanks to Senator Lautenberg, Congressman Frost, Congressman Engel, 
Congresswoman Lowey, Congressman Waxman, and Congressman Levin. And I 
hope I didn't miss anybody; we can't afford to lose any more friends in 
Congress. [Laughter]
    When the Prime Minister said that Israel was now spending as much 
money on education as defense, I thought of seeing if I could get him to 
stay another week and just testify before a few committees. [Laughter] 
And when you, sir, said that I had made history for a second time, I can 
see myself being guilt-peddled into the future; I can make history now 
every year from now on until the end of my life. [Laughter]
    Since I associate you with the struggle for peace, I can't help, if 
you will indulge me one real purely personal observation: The last time 
I appeared before this conference before last year was in 1989, when the 
person who was supposed to appear on behalf of the Democratic Party 
against Lee Atwater went to his daughter's college graduation. I thought 
he had his priorities in order, and so when he asked me to replace him, 
I was glad to stand in for Ron Brown. And since he lost his life on 
another remarkable mission of peace, I thought I would share that with 
you tonight, and I hope you will remember that and remember him and his 
family in your prayers.
    I am pleased as the Prime Minister is that we can come here tonight 
with the northern border of Israel and the southern border of Lebanon 
quiet--no Katyusha rockets firing down on the people of northern Israel. 
I thank the Prime Minister for the tremendous work he did. And in his 
absence--and I hope to goodness he's sleeping right now--I want to thank 
the Secretary of State for his magnificent herculean effort. I also 
thank his partner and great unsung hero, Dennis Ross, for what he has 
done.
    As the Prime Minister said, we had an agreement back in 1993, but it 
wasn't in writing, and it was shattered. For the first time now, there 
is an agreement in writing that will be more effective in preventing 
further outbreaks. The violence has stopped. There is now a monitoring 
mechanism to which Israel and Lebanon can refer complaints. And now it 
is our fond hope that civilians on both sides of the border can resume 
their lives with greater confidence and security. And we will not 
tolerate further efforts to disrupt the calm.
    When I came into office, I was determined that our country would go 
into the 21st century still the world's greatest force for peace and 
freedom, for democracy and security and prosperity. We have to promote 
these values just as vigorously as we did in the cold war. Indeed, in 
some ways, our responsibilities as Americans are now greater.
    I know that you agree with that. You have devoted yourselves to 
strengthening the bonds between the United States and Israel, a 
cornerstone of our foreign policy and of our efforts to advance peace 
and freedom and democracy in the Middle East. I thank you for that and I 
ask you, too, to continue to speak out in a larger sense for America's 
role in the world. It has made a difference what we have done in the 
Middle East and in Bosnia and in Northern Ireland and in Haiti and in 
fighting against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and in 
leading the world to take a tougher stand against terrorism. We cannot 
afford to walk away from these responsibilities to the future of our 
children, our children's children, and the children of all the world.
    What a difference a year can make. It was at this conference last 
year that Israel's then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said, from day one 
Israel found itself in a unique alliance with the United States, resting 
on twin pillars of shared values and strategic partnership.

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Well, it's still true. And now the United States and Israel are still 
partners based on shared values and common strategies.
    I am grateful for the service, the life, and the sacrifice of Prime 
Minister Rabin. But I am also very grateful that the man he called his 
full partner, our friend Shimon Peres, is carrying forward the important 
work of peace with security. From his earliest days when he helped to 
establish Israel's military, up to the very present when he has defined 
a vision of a new Middle East in his remarkable book--which, Prime 
Minister, I have told the whole world I enjoyed reading, and I'm 
promoting it for you and I hope I get a certain percentage kickback if 
it really does very well. [Laughter] We just made another agreement. 
They're just spouting out all over.
    I said that in jest--[laughter]--to lay the pretext for a serious 
comment. At least the critical mass of American Jews should read that 
book and become familiar with its contents, because if you do it will 
give you the energy for the tasks ahead, because the Prime Minister has 
been able to imagine what the future might be like beyond the history 
that can be made with the other peace signings. And that vision is what 
must drive us all into tomorrow.
    We have made a lot of progress with the Declaration of Principles of 
the Palestinians, the peace of the Araba with Jordan, the interim accord 
that was signed in Washington. I have watched in these very difficult 
months since Prime Minister Rabin's assassination Prime Minister Peres 
rise to this moment. He has been a true and reliable friend of our 
country, and a true and reliable leader of his own. And I am proud to 
say, as Yitzhak Rabin said, he is our full partner for peace and 
security.
    This has been a trying time for those who believe that a secure 
peace is the only true hope for Israel and the Middle East. The Katyusha 
rockets, the bloodshed in Lebanon, the suicide bombings in Israel--we 
grieve for the innocent victims, for the Israelis who simply wanted to 
live quiet lives in their own country, for the innocent Palestinians who 
were killed in the suicide bombings in Israel, for the children of our 
own Nation, Sarah Duker and Matthew Eisenfeld, visiting a land they 
loved; for the Lebanese children in Qana who were caught between--make 
no mistake about it--the deliberate tactics of Hezbollah in their 
positioning and firing and the tragic misfiring in Israel's legitimate 
exercise of its right to self-defense.
    I know that in Israel and Lebanon, throughout the Middle East and 
throughout the world, it would be so easy after yet another round of 
violence and death to give up, to think that the very best we could 
expect is a future of separate armed camps. It is that sort of bunker 
mentality that we fight, indeed, all across the world in different ways 
today. It would be easy to give into it in the Middle East, but it would 
be wrong.
    I was asked the other day whether the violence of the last few days 
was not proof that the peace process was dead. I said, no, quite the 
contrary; it was proof that the yearning for peace was alive. The people 
who started the violence were trying to kill the longing for peace. It 
is still alive, and we must not let it die. We must stand up to what 
they tried to do.
    We can still achieve a peace if we conquer fear and restore security 
and deal honestly with those with whom we have differences. We know it 
will not be easy. Peace requires in some ways more strength than war. 
And we must have the patience to endure a few more setbacks along the 
way. We know that it takes great courage to press forward into an 
unknown future. It's harder than retreating into a familiar past. It 
takes great bravery to reach out to a former enemy. It's easier to stay 
in the false security of isolation.
    But I believe that Israel will maintain its resolve for peace. As I 
said, I saw it in the eyes and I heard it in the voices of the children 
of Israel when I was there just last month. I saw it in the eyes of 
those two young Americans who gave Prime Minister Peres and me those 
petitions. I heard it from two boys in Israel, Uri Tal and Tal Loel, who 
were badly wounded in the bombing in Tel Aviv--one even deafened. 
Despite their pain, they wrote to me from their hospital beds, and I 
quote, from their hospital beds they wrote: ``Peace is the only true 
solution for this area.'' They showed strength, having lost much even in 
their young years. They showed the ability to overcome adversity that

[[Page 752]]

is the true genius of the character and history of the Jewish people.
    If the Jewish people have endured centuries of exile, persecution, 
the ultimate evil of the Holocaust, flourishing against all the odds, 
surely--surely--together they can throw back their shoulders and raise 
their heads and say, after all this, Hezbollah and Hamas will not 
succeed where others have failed.
    Even as the Katyushas were falling, we saw proof of peace taking 
hold. We saw it in the meeting between Prime Minister Peres and Chairman 
Arafat 10 days ago, when they vowed to move ahead on the goals set by 
the accords. We saw it in the Prime Minister's path-breaking trips to 
Qatar and Oman this month. And I salute again the Prime Minister for the 
strength and commitment he has shown in pursuing the peace in this 
difficult period.
    And of course, last Wednesday, on the 48th anniversary of Israeli 
independence, the Palestinian National Council finally did change the 
PLO charter and deleted the hateful clause calling for the destruction 
of Israel. Now, think about that. That symbol of hatred had endured 
since 1964, before some people in this room were even born. It's a 
moment we have long waited and worked for. The Palestinian leadership 
followed through on its commitments and made a better move to a better 
day. All friends of peace should be heartened by this, and especially by 
the large margin of the vote in support of Chairman Arafat's policy.
    Even during the suicide bombings there was dramatic proof that peace 
is taking root. Remember, as Prime Minister Peres said, at the Summit of 
the Peacemakers in Sharm al-Sheikh we had 29 leaders from around the 
globe and 13 from the Arab world voting and committing themselves for 
the first time not only to condemn but to work against terrorism in 
Israel. It was an historic moment. And we are following up on it.
    I say again, I want to hammer this home, not only to you who know, 
but to people beyond this room; this progress for peace is the reason 
the enemies of peace are lashing out. We must restore peace. We must 
restore security. But we must not be diverted from our ultimate goal, 
else we will hand them the victory that they have sought all along.
    We know the circle of peace cannot be closed only by an end to the 
fighting in Lebanon. It can be closed only when the Arab-Israeli 
conflict is truly over; when normalization takes hold in the entire Arab 
world; when Israel's security is completely assured; when Israel is 
fully accepted in every way in the region. The circle of peace will be 
closed only--and I say only--when the people of Israel are confident 
that what they are getting is worth the risks they must take. Peace and 
security are indivisible. And Israel must feel comfortable and confident 
about both in order to achieve either over the long run.
    Let me say to you what I hope you already know, the breakthroughs of 
the past were possible because we built together a bond of trust. And I 
pledge to you today that this relationship will remain strong and vital, 
so strong and so vital that no one will ever drive a wedge between us.
    Our commitment to Israel's security is unshakable. It will stay that 
way because Israel must have the means to defend itself by itself. In a 
time of shrinking resources, we have maintained our economic assistance. 
We have sought to enhance Israel's security to lessen the risks it has 
taken and still takes every day for peace.
    Israel's qualitative military edge is greater than ever because we 
have kept our word. Earlier today, Prime Minister Peres and Secretary 
Perry signed an agreement to expand our theater missile defense program 
so that we can detect and destroy incoming missiles. That way Israel 
will have not only the advantage it needs today, but will be able to 
defeat the threats of tomorrow.
    As part of this effort, we are proceeding with the third phase of 
the deployment of the Arrow missile program. The United States is 
committing $200 million to this effort so that the children who lived 
through the Scud attacks of the Gulf War will never again face that 
fear. We also pledge to expand work on the Nautilus high-energy laser 
system, which is designed to destroy Katyushas in flight. Our air forces 
are working together so that the first of the F-15-I's are delivered as 
planned next year. And

[[Page 753]]

we have offered Israel the AMRAAM, our most advanced air-to-air missile 
system, so that Israel's air power remains unmatched in the region.
    Our strategic cooperation is greater than ever. We are continuing to 
help build Israel's high-tech capacity through the sale of 
supercomputers. We are even expanding cooperation in space and preparing 
to train Israeli astronauts. There may be a few volunteers out there, 
Mr. Prime Minister. [Laughter]
    We are also working, as the Prime Minister has said, more closely 
than ever to defeat terrorism. This week we will complete the agreement 
to combat extremist violence that we began work on during my visit to 
Israel last month. Almost as soon as we received word of the bombings we 
began sending new equipment to detect explosives. Now we are committing 
more than $100 million to this program for equipment and training, for 
development of new technologies and improved communications and 
coordination. And I am very pleased that in the budget I signed just 2 
days ago, the first $50 million was included in our common antiterrorist 
efforts.
    We all know that Israel should have every tool at its disposal in 
the fight against terror. And we all know that the organized forces of 
hatred and terror threaten people not only in the Middle East, but here 
at home and around the world. We saw that in Oklahoma City, at the World 
Trade Center, in the attacks we have thwarted, in the subways of Tokyo, 
in the skies over Scotland. We see it all around the world. Fighting 
terrorism will remain one of our top law enforcement priorities for many 
years to come. And in order to be successful, we have to have the tools 
we need here, and we have to work together.
    I want to thank the Congress and Members in both parties for passing 
the antiterrorism bill I signed into law just last week. I want to thank 
many of you in this audience in both parties who worked hard and lobbied 
hard for that legislation. It will help us to stop terrorists before 
they strike and to bring them to justice when they do.
    Now we can more quickly expel foreigners who come here and support 
terrorist activities. Our prosecutors can wield new tools and expanded 
penalties against those who terrorize Americans at home or abroad. And 
we can stop terrorists from raising money in the United States to pay 
for their crimes anywhere around the world.
    Again, I say AIPAC has long been a powerful voice in favor of this 
legislation. We may not be able to always stop those who are gripped by 
hatred, but at least now because of your support, we will make a real 
difference in the fight against terror. And I pledge to you that in 
America, in Israel, and around the world we will not rest from these 
efforts until, in the words of the Psalm, ``We shall not be afraid of 
the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day.''
    When I was in Jerusalem last month, I placed a small symbol of the 
extraordinary bond of solidarity between the United States and Israel on 
the grave of my friend Prime Minister Rabin. It was a little stone from 
the South Lawn of the White House where the first accord with the 
Palestinians was signed. I put it there in keeping with the Jewish 
tradition that says one must always add to the memories of those who 
have died and never detract from them.
    Well, it falls to us to add more to the memories of all those who 
have given their lives for Israel's security and for the hope of peace. 
And we must do this not only with stones, but in kind. We must build a 
peace as hard and real as any stone. And in so doing, we will add to the 
memory of every martyr and validate the sacrifice of every martyr, and 
give meaning and breath and life to the dreams of so many who have gone 
before.
    That is my vision to you and my pledge. And I say to you, and 
especially to you, I will do everything I can to help us achieve it 
together.
    Thank you, and God bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 9:37 p.m. in the ballroom at the Washington 
Hilton Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Shimon Peres 
of Israel; Itamar Rabinovich, Israeli Ambassador to the United States; 
Martin Indyk, U.S. Ambassador to Israel; Melvin Dow, president, Steve 
Grossman, chairman of the board, Neal Sher, executive director, Edward 
Levy, vice president, and Jack Bendheim, board member, American Israel 
Public Affairs Committee; Edgar

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Bronfman, president, World Jewish Congress; and Chairman Yasser Arafat 
of the Palestinian Authority.