Discussion on Palestinian Statehood and Peace

Let me quote you

what the PLO Information Office said in a Dutch

paper in 1977, in May 5th.

'77?

May 5th, 1977, yes.

The statement was very simple: "Our objective

remains the destruction of the Zionist State of Israel." So let's keep in mind

that what we're talking about here is not the attempt to build a state,

but to

destroy one.

Do the Palestinians have a right to a separate state?

Now, no one is denying that there are Palestinian Arabs.

There's a very distinguished Palestinian Arab sitting right next to me.

But the Palestinians themselves, in the Palestinian National Covenant,

the very

first article,

say that the people of Palestine, quote, "Are part of the Arab

nation." Well, let's look at the Arab nation.

It has 21 states,

an area roughly the size of the United States, and one-sixth

of the entire world's wealth.

Now, add to that the fact that there already exists a Palestinian

state,

and that is Jordan,

60% of whose population is Palestinian. It's...

I think, I think it's quite interesting

that Yasser Arafat and King Hussein, who

are bitter enemies, agree on one thing: that Jordan is a Palestinian

state. So what we're talking about is a demand for a 22nd Arab

state and a second Palestinian state.

Call it-

What should be done with the Palestinians on the West Bank?

There's the problem, so what should be done about it,

in your opinion?

Well, I think that the Palestinians in the West

Bank

are going to be offered the full human rights,

the full civil rights, as there are no Arabs are offered in the Middle

East.

No Arabs whatsoever have any full human rights or the right to vote for their own

government. Those Arabs who lived in Israel

in the pre-'67 boundaries are the only Arabs in the Middle East who

are offered

that right, and I'm all in favor of having the same

Arabs living in the West Bank

and the Gaza Strip being offered such a right in the final peace agreement.

Can we have, uh, peace in the Middle East?

Very briefly, please.

Yes, I sincerely hope so.

Look, I'm 28 years old. I've had to defend my country in two wars

and in many battles.

Nobody wants peace more than Israel.

But the stumbling block to the road for peace

is this demand for a PLO state, which will mean more war,

which will mean more

violence in the Middle East. And I think, I sincerely believe, if this demand is

abandoned, we can have real and genuine peace.