News Conferences & Interviews on the
Middle East/Israel
(2001)
FEBRUARY 9, 2001
Middle East
Q. What did you say to Mr. Arafat?
The President. Oh, I had a good talk with Mr. Arafat.
I’ve also had talks with other leaders throughout the region,
and I urged calm. I said it was very important to give the newly elected
leader of Israel a chance, a chance to form a government and a chance
to do what he said he wanted to do, which is to promote the peace in
the region. And I certainly hope that people recognize that change does
not necessarily mean that the peace process won’t go forward.
I think we ought to take Mr. Sharon for his word, and
that is, he wants to promote peace in the Middle East. I look forward
to watching him put a government together and then fulfilling what he
said he would do.
Q. Are you concerned about the violence yesterday,
the bombings?
The President. I’m concerned about all kinds
of violence. But I firmly believe that the best policy is to encourage
leaders to just remain resolute in their willingness to promote the
peace and give the Sharon government a chance to form a government and
then to be able to do what he said he wanted to do, which is to promote
peace in the Middle East.
MARCH 29, 2001
The President. Good morning. I first want to say how
pleased I am that the House yesterday passed on a realistic, commonsense
budget to the Senate. I appreciated the vote. They did the right thing.
It’s a budget that meets our Nation’s priorities. It’s
also a budget that leaves ample room for meaningful, real, long-lasting
tax relief. I look forward to working with the Senate to get a budget
passed.
I’m also deeply concerned about the escalating
violence in the Middle East. It is claiming the lives of innocent civilians
on both sides. The tragic cycle of incitement, provocation, and violence
has gone on far too long. Both sides must take important steps to calm
the situation now.
The Palestinian Authority should speak out publicly
and forcibly, in a language that the Palestinian people—to condemn
violence and terrorism. It should arrest those who perpetrated the terrorist
acts. It should resume security cooperation with Israel.
The Government of Israel, for its part, should exercise
restraint in its military response. It should take steps to restore
normalcy to the lives of the Palestinian people by easing closures and
removing checkpoints. Last week Prime Minister Sharon assured me that
his government wants to move in this direction, and I urge Israel to
do so.
I’ll be meeting with Egypt’s President
Mubarak next Monday and Jordan’s King Abdullah the week after,
to seek their help in defusing the tensions. Egypt and Jordan are two
of our most important partners in the region, and their role is crucial.
I’ve asked Secretary Powell to call Chairman
Arafat today and contact other leaders to urge them to stand against
violence. Our diplomats in the region are fully engaged in this effort.
Our goal is to encourage a series of reciprocal and
parallel steps by both sides that will halt the escalation of violence,
provide safety and security for civilians on both sides, and restore
normalcy to the lives of everyone in the region. A lasting peace in
the region will come only when the parties agree directly on its terms.
This week I vetoed an unbalanced U.N. resolution, because
it tried to force the adoption of a mechanism on which both parties
did not agree. My approach will be to facilitate the parties’
work in finding their own solution to peace. We seek to build a stable
foundation for restoring confidence, rebuilding security cooperation,
and resuming a political dialog between the parties.
AUGUST 13, 2001
Terrorist Attack in Israel
The President. About time you learned something.
On Israel, the Palestinians--we will never get to Mitchell
until the leadership works to reduce and stop violence. These terrorist
acts, which are despicable, will prevent us from ever getting into the
Mitchell process.
My administration has been calling upon all the leaders
in the Middle East to do everything they can to stop the violence, to
tell the different parties involved that peace will never happen, and
so long as terrorist activities continue, it will be impossible to get
into Mitchell or any other discussion about peace under the threat of
terrorism. Secretary Powell was in touch with Mr. Arafat and Mr. Sharon;
we delivered that message consistently.
Q. What more do you think you can do?
The President. Well, Europe and moderate Arab nations
must join with us to continue to send a consistent message that there
will be no peace unless we break this cycle of violence. And the United
States is doing everything in our power to convince the parties, but
I want to remind people there must be the will. The people in the area
must make the conscious decision to stop terrorism. And we're going
to continue----
Q. But can the Israelis continue to show moderate restraint
or----
The President. I appreciate the fact that they do show
a moderate restraint. Sometimes they haven't, and sometimes they have.
But what's important is that we say to all the parties that if there's
a desire for peace--or at least a discussion of peace or the desire
to get in Mitchell, the first thing that must happen is--is that we
must stop violence.
Q. But do you have confidence in Arafat that he can
stop the terrorist acts?
The President. I think he can do a lot more to be convincing
the people on the street to stop these acts of terrorism and the acts
of violence. I said in the Oval Office it is very important for Mr.
Arafat to show a 100-percent effort, to do everything he can to convince
the different parties on the West Bank and in Gaza to stop the violence.
And we recognize that there could be isolated incidents of terror, but
these--this is a continuing terrorist campaign, and we've got to stop.
I will invite the respective parties to come and see me at the appropriate
time.
Q. Sir, what about your response to people who say
that your administration isn't doing enough to stop the escalation of
violence there?
The President. We have been engaged in the Middle East
ever since I got sworn in. Ours is the administration that sent George
Tenet to the Middle East to lay out a platform for discussions amongst
security forces to bring peace to the region. We wholeheartedly endorse
the Mitchell report. We have spent, on a near daily basis, talking to
the different parties, urging them--because there's nothing that an
administration can do if there's no will for peace.
And we're obviously working with the leaders to try
to convince them to take the necessary steps to send a signal to the
people on the streets that peace--we want peace. We want at least discussions
towards peace, if not in a final agreement.
We've got a long way to go, I recognize that. And it's
so important for there to be the will, the desire. It requires two parties
to make the conscious decision that we're going to do everything we
can to stop terrorism, and our administration and my Government is working
hard to send that message. We're on the phone almost on a daily basis
to the respective parties.
Q. Do you see the will on either side, sir?
The President. Well, sometimes we see the will on the
other side, and sometimes that cycle overcomes the will. There's a lot
of people in the Middle East who are desirous to get into the Mitchell
process, but first things first. These terrorist acts and the responses
have got to end in order for us to get the framework--the groundwork,
not framework--the groundwork to discuss a framework, to lay the--all
right.
Q. Have you made any calls yourself, sir?
The President. I've made a lot of calls over--you mean
the last couple of days? No, I haven't, not over the last couple of
days. Secretary Powell did--I'm, of course, very aware of how the conversations
went.
AUGUST 14, 2001
Situation in the Middle East
Q. Mr. President, I've got a Mideast question for you.
The Israeli tanks moved into a Palestinian city, the furthest incursion
yet. Any new reaction to that?
The President. I have no new reaction. My only point
is--and I'm going to continue to make the point and so is my administration--that
the cycle of violence has got to end in order for the peace process,
or any peace process, to begin.
And therefore, Mr. Arafat must clamp down on the suicide
bombers and on the violence. And the Israelis must show restraint. We've
got to break the cycle. In order for there to be any discussions about
world peace, it requires a willingness of both sides to come to the
table. And my administration continues to talk to both sides, and we
will continue to work to try to bring a sense of--a desire, a sense
of purpose on the partners there in the Middle East to sit down and,
one, reject the violence and start meaningful discussions about how
to reach an accord. It's essential that the violence stops.
Q. Sounds like a strongly held feeling.
The President. Well, I feel very strongly about it
because I'm worried about the cycle of violence continuing to escalate.
And it's not good for our--it's not good for that part of the world,
nor is it good for the rest of the world, that the Middle East be a
place of violence.
We've been making good progress in Macedonia, it looks
like, so that part of the world is beginning to calm down a little bit.
The Middle East is a cauldron of violence, and we've
got to--and we will continue to be very much involved in insisting that
both parties break the cycle.
AUGUST 15, 2001
Situation in the Middle East
Q. One question about the Middle East, sir. Do you
believe that they are on the brink of war there? And have you come to
believe that it's no longer realistic - -
The President. [Inaudible] - the violence in the Middle
East, but I'm confident that the leadership there will understand that
war is avoidable and will work to bring peace. The parties must - must
- make up their mind that peace is preferable to war. The suicide bombings
have increased; there's too many of them. And Mr. Arafat must do everything
in his power to discourage the suicide bombers. And the Israelis must
be restrained in their response.
There's too much violence in the Middle East, but I'm
confident that we can avoid war so long as the leadership makes the
concerted effort to do so. My administration is constantly in touch
with the parties. I spoke to Secretary Powell this morning. We're working
with the appropriate folks. The Egyptians are in town. Not only are
we talking to the Palestinians and the Israelis, we're talking to other
nations in the neighborhood to encourage them to convince Mr. Arafat
to do everything he can to prevent and stop suicide bombings and needless
violence.
AUGUST 24, 2001
United Nations Conference on Racism
Q. Thank you, Mr. President. You mentioned thinking
long and hard about these nominations. I hope to ask you about another
long deliberation.
The United Nations Conference on Racism convenes in
just one week. Do you want your administration represented there? If
so, at what level? And are the Zionism and reparations agenda items
absolutely prohibitive to any U.S. participation?
The President. She is referring to a conference that
will be taking place in South Africa. We have made it very clear, through
Colin Powell's office, that we will have no representative there, so
long as they pick on Israel, so long as they continue to say Zionism
is racism. If they use the forum as a way to isolate our friend and
strong ally, we will not participate.
The Secretary of State is working hard to resolve that
issue. We have made it very clear from the get-go - I remember explaining
to President Mbeki our position. As I understand, the reparations issue
has been solved. At least, the last information I had was that that
issue looks like it's been resolved.
But the fundamental question is whether or not Israel
will be treated with respect at the conference. And if not, then we
will assess prior to the beginning. So I am not exactly sure where we
stand at this moment.
I do know what our administration's position is. And
the position is, we will not participate in a conference that tries
to isolate Israel and denigrates Israel.
Q. Participate at any level?
The President. That's my feeling.
Yes. Situation in the Middle East
Q. Mr. President, on Israel, as well, following up
on that, today the Israelis pushed farther into Palestinian territory,
attacking two houses in Hebron. So far the peace talks that were agreed
to between Peres and Arafat haven't happened.
I know you say that the U.S. is engaged, but Egyptians,
Palestinians are calling for more U.S. involvement. What is it going
to take for the U.S. to actually get more involved, take more action
in order to help bring about peace in the Middle East?
The President. Well, let's start with this: In order
for there to be any peace talks in the Middle East, the first thing
that must happen is that both parties must resolve to stop violence.
The Israelis have made it very clear that they will not negotiate under
terrorist threat. And if Mr. Arafat is interested in having a dialog
that could conceivably lead to the Mitchell process, then I strongly
urge him to urge the terrorists, the Palestinian terrorists, to stop
the suicide bombings, to stop the incursions, to stop the threats.
At the same time, we have worked very closely with
Prime Minister Sharon to urge him to show restraint. Terrorism is prevalent
now in the Middle East, and the first thing that all parties who are
concerned about peace in the Middle East must do is work to stop the
terrorist activities.
The Israelis will not negotiate under terrorist threat,
simple as that. And if the Palestinians are interested in a dialog,
then I strongly urge Mr. Arafat to put 100 percent effort into solving
the terrorist activity, into stopping the terrorist activity. And I
believe he can do a better job of doing that.
Go ahead.
Q. What's your reaction to the fact that the Israelis
are moving into Palestinian territory again?
The President. My reaction is, is that I would hope
the Israelis would show restraint on all fronts. And we continue to
urge restraint with both parties; we are constantly in dialog.
But it requires two willing participants. People have
got to make up their mind this is what they want to have happen in order
for the beginning of peace discussions. We've got a framework for a
peaceful resolution. It's called the Mitchell plan. And our administration,
as has most of the world, embraced the Mitchell plan. But in order to
get to Mitchell requires there to be a cessation of terrorist activity.
If not a cessation, 100 percent effort to get to a cessation, and we
haven't seen that 100 percent effort yet.
And if what you're asking is, do we hear the Palestinians
call for discussions? Of course we do. But my attitude is, if they are
that interested in peaceful dialog, they ought to do everything they
can to stop the terrorist activity that has accelerated in recent months.
And we will see whether or not the will is there.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2001
Middle East Cease-Fire
Q. Do you think the Middle East cease-fire will hold?
And what do you think the next step should be for both the Israelis
and the Palestinians?
President Bush. We've had very positive developments
in the Middle East today, and it's one of the subjects that my friend
and I will discuss. I was very pleased by the statements by Chairman
Arafat, followed by the strong statements by the Israelis that they
would stand down troops.
And I hope in my heart of hearts that out of this evil
comes good. I think it will; I'm a very optimistic person. And one of
the goods that can come is that people involved with the Middle East
conflict, that both leaders here want to resolve, realize that a terrorist
way of life is not going to lead to a peaceful resolution for people.
The next step, of course, is to stay involved in the
region, is to work with both the Palestinians and the Israelis to encourage
them to seize the moment, to hold Mr. Arafat to his word that he will
fight violence, and to encourage the Israelis to sit down and have meaningful
dialog, with the attempt to get into the Mitchell process. And it's
a glimmer of hope that all of us hope that the parties involved will
seize.
OCTOBER 2, 2001
Situation in the Middle East
Q. Are you prepared, sir, to recognize a Palestinian
state as a part of a broader Middle East peace process, itself?
The President. The idea of a Palestinian state has
always been a part of a vision, so long as the right to Israel to exist
is respected.
But first things first, when it comes to the Middle
East, and we've got to get to Mitchell, the Mitchell accord. Senator
Mitchell put together a viable blueprint that most of the world agrees
with as the necessary path to ultimately solving the problems of the
Middle East. And we are working diligently with both sides to encourage
the reduction of violence so that meaningful discussions can take place.
Q. Mr. President, to follow up on the Middle East,
sir. Were you prepared to support the idea of a Palestinian state before
the United Nations conference that was canceled?
The President. Oh, I read all kinds of speculation
about what this administration was or was not going to do. What I'm
telling you is, is that we are fully committed to the Mitchell process.
And we are fully committed to working with both sides to bring the level
of terror down to an acceptable level for both. And I fully understand
that progress is made in centimeters in the Middle East. And we believe
we're making some progress.
DECEMBER 4, 2001
Terrorist Attacks in Israel
Q. The second one is a question. What are we doing
right now to assist our allies in Israel during their time of terrorist
attacks?
The President. Yes. The question is about Israel. I
had the Prime Minister of Israel in my office on Sunday. He was coming
Monday but decided to come sooner because of the attacks. And I commiserated
with him, because a lot of innocent people had been killed or hurt as
a result of terrorist activity.
The terrorist attacks on Israel - first of all, Israel
has got no better friend than the United States, as far as I'm concerned.
Israel is a democracy. We share a lot of values with Israel. I have
a dream; I can't think of anything better than to have a dream for peace
for Israel. I think the Israeli people want to have peace.
But we learned in such a vivid way that there are elements
in the Middle East that hate the thought of peace and will be willing
to use terror to derail any type of peace process. And so the spotlight
now flashes on the Middle East in a terrible way, obviously. But it
also reminds people around the world that if we want peace, that it's
important for those advocates of peace to help rout out terror and to
bring it to justice. It is incumbent upon Mr. Arafat now to respond
forcefully, to rout out those who killed. It's incumbent upon other
friends and allies of ours around the world to help bring those terrorists
to justice if we want peace in the Middle East, which I do - which I
do. We've got to bring the terrorists to justice.
We cannot let a few - we cannot let a few prevent the
many from achieving a dream which is lasting peace in the Middle East.
I hope that happens. I hope it happens for the sake of Israel. I hope
it happens for the sake of the Palestinians, who suffer because of the
lack of job opportunity and killing and war. I hope it happens. But
first things first. We must rid the world of terror.
DECEMBER 5, 2001
Palestine Liberation Organization
Q. Has the PLO been harboring terrorists? If so, should
they be treated like the Taliban?
President Bush. The PLO, Ron, needs to stand up and
rout out those killers, those murderers who are preventing us from getting
a peace process in place. My Nation is committed to peace in the Middle
East. Norway is committed to peace in the Middle East. But there are
obviously folks who want to use the weapon of terror to derail peace.
And Mr. Arafat must show leadership and bring those to justice who would
use murder as a weapon to derail peace and to destroy innocent life.
He must show leadership. Now is his time. And other nations around the
world that are interested in peace must encourage Mr. Arafat, must insist
that Mr. Arafat use everything in his power to prevent further terrorist
attacks in Israel.
DECEMBER 14, 2001
Anybody care to talk to the Prime Minister? Situation
in the Middle East
Q. I'll ask one. Mr. President, do you see any signs
of hope or progress in stopping the killing in the Middle East? And
do you believe that Israel has been justified in its retaliatory actions
against the Palestinian leadership and in the Prime Minister's decision
to cut off contacts with Chairman Arafat?
The President. First, let me talk about Chairman Arafat.
Chairman Arafat has said that he intends to fight terror and to bring
those to justice who are killing - murderers - in the Middle East, and
now is his time to perform. The world expects Chairman Arafat to lead,
and so do I. And I will continue to work with our friends and allies
to make it - to talk to Mr. Arafat in very blunt terms.
And that is, if you want to achieve the Mitchell -
if you want to get in the Mitchell process, if you want there to be
a peace, you must do everything in your power; you must use your security
forces to bring to justice those who murder to keep peace from happening.
The world has now seen that there are killers and murderers
around the world and in the Middle East that are not interested in peace.
Our Government strongly desires peace. We have sent emissaries throughout
my administration to work to get a secure enough environment to get
into the Mitchell process. We still have a man in place, General Zinni,
working to get there to be some kind of security arrangements so we
could possibly get into Mitchell. But so long as there's killers and
people who would derail the peace process by murdering others, it's
going to be very difficult to do.
I will continue to make peace in the Middle East a
priority, and it starts with routing out terror wherever it exists.
Sources: The
White House |