Quiz: Who is the "I" in this
headline in Time Magazine?
"I
Oppose the Creation of a Palestinian State"
Answer: Yitzchak Rabin in an interview in
Time Magazine:
I
Oppose the Creation of a Palestinian State
By Lisa
Beyer/Tel Aviv and Yitzhak Rabin
Monday,
Sept. 27, 1993
Q. Now
that you've signed this agreement with the Palestinians, what next?
A. For
me, the main test is the implementation, especially in Gaza. Jericho is
symbolic. In Gaza there are three-quarters of a million Palestinians, poverty,
economic and social problems. The real problem is to what extent the P.L.O.
will have the means to take over. They have never been responsible for running
a large community -- to maintain law and order, to prevent terror, to run an
economy, to build houses, to run schools, to develop industries. The whole
future depends on how it works in Gaza-Jericho.
Q. How do
you think the Palestinians will manage self-rule?
A. I
believe there is a good chance they will succeed. But without a tremendous
amount of money from the outside, I don't see great hope that they will manage
even in Gaza.
Q. How do
you assess the security risks to Israel?
A. The
Palestinians don't present militarily a threat to the existence of Israel. There
are certain risks to the personal security of a limited number of Israelis.
Q. What
if the personal-security risks to Israelis increase?
A. If
terror will continue, it means the Palestinians cannot keep their commitments,
so what is the meaning of the agreement?
Q. In
that case the accord would be rolled back?
A. I
didn't say so. You said it.
Q. How
will your government respond if the right wing in Israel rebels against the
accord?
A. I
don't believe that there will be rebellion. Israel is a democracy. There might
be expressions of opposition, but I believe that whatever the government and
Knesset approve will be carried out.
Q. What
about rebellion against the Palestinian authorities?
A. No
doubt they'll have problems, mainly with Hamas. They will focus on increased
terror activities against Israelis. They believe that the best way to foil the
deal is to create antagonism to the agreement among the Israelis. We had lately
suicide terror acts. It creates problems.
Q. The
Labor Party seems to be softening its opposition to a Palestinian state.
A. No.
I am against this. I oppose the creation of an independent Palestinian state
between Israel and Jordan, and I don't believe that at this stage it would be a
good idea if I brought out the options.
Q. How
will the accord affect your negotiations with Syria, Lebanon and Jordan?
A. We
expect the other partners in the peace negotiations to assist in the
implementation of what has been agreed upon with the Palestinians. Idon't see a
problem signing a peace treaty with Jordan tomorrow if they limit the issues to
Jordanian-Israeli problems. It will facilitate negotiations with Syria, but
maybe on a longer timetable.
Q. When
you shook Arafat's hand in Washington, you managed a smile. Or was it a
grimace?
A. I
can't remember. I stood there for about one hour. Do you expect me to remember
every expression that I had?
Q. It
must have been a memorable moment. How did you feel?
A. It was
not easy.
Q. What
made you decide finally to deal directly with the P.L.O.?
A. It
took me and others a long time to overcome the mental and practical block to
this. For 30 years the P.L.O. carried out terror activities, among them many
cases I can call atrocities. But mutual recognition, in my humble opinion --
to the extent that they will keep their commitment, and I assume they will --
made the P.L.O. entirely different from what it was before.
Q. You
are 71 years old, late in your political career. Did this motivate you to reach
a solution now?
A. It is
not a question of my age but a question of my purpose in being in politics.
When I decided to run for Prime Minister, I believed that the coincidence of
events on the international scene, in the Middle East, in Israel were ripe to
achieve two goals: peace and security, and changing the order of national
priorities for the people of Israel -- not to look at the territories as the
main issue. At least 96% of Israeli Jews live on sovereign Israeli soil, within
the green lines, including united Jerusalem. The future of Israel depends
much more on what that 96% of Jews and about 1 million non-Jewish Israeli
citizens will achieve in their economy, social progress, cultural and
scientific achievements.
How right
he was - and how wrong.
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