TThe National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council strongly supports the peace initiatives undertaken by the Rabin government seeking to normalize relations with Israel's Arab neighbors and to achieve long-term security for the people of Israel.

The signing last September by Israel and the PLO of a mutual recognition accord and a Declaration of Principles (DOP), which serves as a negotiating framework, represents an historic breakthrough between Israel and the Palestinians. We welcome the recent Israel-PLO agreement on implementation of the GazaJericho section of the DOP. Critical to the success of this process is the PLO's commitment and ability to fulfill all of its obligations in the agreements with Israel, particularly with respect to ending violence and terrorism.

While Syrian President Hafez el-Assad has expressed his desire to reach an accommodation with Israel, he has failed to state clearly and unequivocally that the goal of negotiations is a formal treaty involving full diplomatic relations, open borders, trade and tourism. We understand Prime Minister Rabin's reluctance to elaborate on his commitment to withdrawal on the Golan Heights except in the context of such a treaty and agreement on security arrangements.

We are encouraged by recent statements of Jordan's King Hussein that he seeks a "warm peace" with Israel and by the advanced state of Jordanian-Israeli discussions regarding bilateral cooperation. We urge Jordan expeditiously to sign a peace treaty with Israel.

We are deeply appreciative of the contributions made by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in advancing the bilateral negotiations.

A number of other Arab leaders, including from Morocco and Tunisia, have taken steps to support the peace process. The Arab states, which long have explained their conflict with Israel and Zionism in terms of the Palestinian issue, now should normalize their diplomatic and economic relations with Israel.

We note the declaration of Arab League Secretary General Ismet Abdel Meguid that next month's Arab foreign ministers meeting will discuss the economic boycott of Israel. We urge the ministers to take that opportunity to declare an end to the economic boycott.

While it is up to the parties to resolve their differences, we applaud the role the U.S. has played both diplomatically and economically in facilitating the peace process. We believe the Clinton Administration, supported by the U.S. Congress, has been providing exemplary leadership.

Notwithstanding the progress made in the peace negotiations to date, Israel's security is far from assured. Indeed, even after agreements are signed Israel will face serious risks from countries which possess growing conventional and non-conventional military capabilities. Thus, it is essential that the U.S. continue to fulfill its longstanding commitment to maintain Israel's qualitative military edge.

The NJCRAC looks forward to continuing its cooperation with President Clinton and his administration in their efforts to facilitate peace in the Middle East and in strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship.

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