October 12, 2000
UJC and JCPA Talking Points
In Response to the Situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories
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We deeply regret the tragic
loss of life - particularly of innocent victims caught in
the crossfire - as the result of violence that has erupted
in Israel and the Palestinian Authority territories. We pray
together that the loss of life comes to an end, that calm
be restored by those with the authority to do so, and that
the pursuit of peace continues.
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We stand in solidarity
with Israel, and we stand behind the belief that only a political
solution can end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians
and resolve such sensitive issues as the status of Jerusalem.
That was the central premise of the Oslo Accords and the goal
for which Israel was striving at the recent Camp David negotiations.
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Some media coverage of
the situation has been out of balance, casting Israel as the
aggressor, using guns and heavier weaponry against Palestinian
rocks and citing the visit of Likud Party Chairman Ariel Sharon
to the Temple Mount as provoking the violence. But there were
other incidents of violence against Israeli targets in the
Gaza Strip days before the Sharon visit. Yaron Sideman, Consul
for Public Affairs, Consulate General of Israel, reports that
violence by Palestinians against Israeli targets had actually
started weeks prior to Sharon's visit, including stone throwing
and the throwing of Molotov Cocktails in Nezarim and parts
of the West Bank, followed on September 25 by the firebombing
of Israeli Defense Forces at the Nezarim junction and a terrorist
attack on September 27 that killed an IDF soldier and wounded
another. Acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami reported that
Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount was in coordination with
high security officials, who apparently did not estimate correctly
the full impact of the visit. · Ben Ami added that he personally
spoke with Gibril Rajub, head of Palestinian Security, who
assured him that as long as Sharon did not enter the mosque,
he saw no reason for things to get out of hand.
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Israeli leaders have pointed
to incendiary calls for action in the Palestinian media, in
sermons by religious leaders, and other incendiary acts, including
the coordinated busing of Palestinian students to the Temple
Mount and the stockpiling of rocks and bricks. No perceived
acts of provocation, by either side, can ever be accepted
as excuses to engage in the kind of violence we have witnessed
in recent days.
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We hope that the meetings
in Paris involving Secretary of State Madeleine Albright,
Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat will help bring an
end to the violence so that the peace negotiations might get
back on track. Since the start of the Oslo Peace Process,
seven years a go, a series of significant interim agreements
have been concluded and implemented by Israel and the Palestinians.
To date, the Gaza Strip and a significant portion of the West
Bank are under the control of the Palestinian Authority. Most
Palestinians reside under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian
Authority. Throughout the interim period, there has been much
criticism that, while Israel has undertaken territorial sacrifices
for peace, the Palestinians have not fully complied with their
signed commitments, particularly those in the realm of security
and anti-Israel propaganda. The willingness of the Israeli
public to accept an agreement with the Palestinians in which
Israel will make substantial concessions will depend on their
belief that Arafat and the Palestinian leadership will truly
prevent the use of violence and anti-Israel incitement.
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