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PM Sharon's address to the nation 31/03/2002 |
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| (31/03/2002) |
First of all, I would like - from here, from Jerusalem - to send our
condolences to the families of the victims of the terrorist attacks and
wishes for a speedy recovery to the many wounded in hospital.
Citizens of Israel, the State of Israel is in a war, a war against
terror. This is a war that was forced on us. It is not a war that we
decided to embark upon. This is a war for our home.
Under my leadership, ever since I was elected, the State of Israel has
made every effort to reach a cease-fire. Amidst the wave of Palestinian
terror, we set before us the goal of doing our utmost to achieve calm
and make progress toward political agreements. We cooperated with US
envoy Anthony Zinni, and we received terror in return. We cooperated
with US Vice President Dick Cheney, and we received terror in return.
In order to promote the possibility of a cease-fire, I decided to
concede my demand for seven days of quiet, and we received terror in
return. We withdrew the IDF from the cities, and we received terror in
return. All we received in return for our efforts was terror, terror
and more terror.
We must wage an uncompromising fight against this terror, uproot these
weeds, and smash their infrastructure because there is no compromise
with terror. It is impossible to compromise with someone who is
prepared - like the suicide-bombers on the streets of Israel's cities
and at the World Trade Center in the US - to die in order to kill
innocent civilians, children, women and infants, to die in order to
cause fear and terror.
This terror is operated, directed and initiated by one man - Palestinian
Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. Arafat heads a coalition of terror.
He operates a strategy of terror. The PA Chairman is an enemy of Israel
in particular and the entire free world in general. All those who
treasure freedom, all those who were raised on the values of freedom and
democracy, must know that Arafat is an obstacle to peace in the Middle
East. Arafat endangers the stability of the entire region.
The Government of Israel - at its meeting last Thursday, 28.3.2002 -
decided to begin a wide-ranging operation to root out terrorist
infrastructures in the PA areas. We will wipe out the terrorist
infrastructures from their foundations because, in the end, we know that
the only way to reach a cease-fire, negotiations, a settlement, an
agreement and peace is if we succeed in eliminating the infrastructure
of terrorism. The State of Israel seeks peace. Our hand is - and
always will be - outstretched for peace with the Palestinian people and
the peoples of the entire region. But let no one delude himself, our
outstretched hand does not mean that we will capitulate to terror or to
terrorists.
Citizens of Israel, the State of Israel is at a critical moment in its
history. The situation is not easy, but we have known worse situations
than this, and we overcame them all. This time, as in the past, we will
be victorious; we will win this time, too. When this happens, we will
be able to live here together in peace.
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