Israel's Foreign Minister, AJC Leaders, Discuss Peace Process Concerns

American Jewish Committee
Monday, 7 December 1998

Israeli Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon has shared with American Jewish Committee leaders pressing concerns about developments affecting Israel's security and the peace process.

Sharon met Sunday with Bruce Ramer, president of the American Jewish Committee, and David A. Harris, AJC's executive director. It was the foreign minister's only private meeting with a U.S. Jewish group during his visit to the United States this week.

During the 75-minute meeting, the foreign minister expressed deep concern about the continuing arms build-up in neighboring Arab countries, Palestinian compliance with accords signed with Israel, the economic health of Jordan, and rapid population growth in the region.

All of these issues have an impact on Israel's security and forging a durable peace.

Sharon explained that Israel's decision last week to postpone any further pullback from the West Bank was based on the Palestinian Authority's failure to comply fully with the terms of Israeli-Palestinian accords.

"If Israel is weak now, if it looks the other way while the Palestinians fail to comply, the Palestinians will never comply with any part of the agreement," Sharon said.

The next redeployment under the Wye agreement was slated to take place on Dec. 18, but Israel will not carry it out until the Palestinian Authority collects illegal weapons and hands them over to the United States and until Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat desists from promising to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state next May.

"We could have waited until two days before the 18th to announce this decision, but we did not want to embarrass President Clinton," who is visiting Israel and the Palestinian self-rule areas next week, said Sharon. Israel wanted Clinton to know in advance, not after he returned to Washington.

Reviewing the military build-up in the region, Sharon said, "Israel continues to face an arms race in the Middle East."

Referring to Syria, which the foreign minister noted has a per capita income that is even less than the Gaza Strip, Sharon said Syria possesses some 1,000 missiles that can strike at Israel and also has a large chemical weapons arsenal.

Sharon said it is "urgent" that American Jewish organizations encourage investment in Jordan. "If you could arrange a visit for businessmen, the Jordanians would eagerly receive you," he said.

The need to establish a secure peace becomes more imperative when one considers the population growth rate in the area.

"By 2020, we expect as many as 15 million people living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean," Sharon said. "This will be the most densely populated region on earth."

In addition to the peace process, the AJC leaders and the foreign minister discussed Israel's relations with Germany, where the AJC has an office in Berlin, and with countries in the Far East that maintain diplomatic contacts with AJC.

"We urged him not to neglect the Far East and Central Asia because of the remarkable possibilities open to Israel," said AJC President Bruce Ramer.

The latest developments regarding Holocaust restitution also were discussed.

The AJC leaders expressed to Sharon their disappointment that Israel did not seize the opportunity to host the next international conference on Holocaust assets, following up on last week's meeting of 44 nations in Washington. Sweden has offered to host the third international gathering, with a focus on Holocaust education.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org