|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3740136,00.html
Agreements Must Be Honored
[Ynet News] Dov Weissglas - On May 1 and 16, 2003, during discussions of Israel's reservations to the Roadmap, it was agreed that there will be no construction at Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, with the exception of existing communities. These words were agreed upon and documented in the records of the talks kept at the Prime Minister's Office. This is precisely how this agreement was secured, as an exception to the general construction freeze decree in the Roadmap. I'm sure that an efficient search will reveal the parallel American records. The agreement was brought to the public's attention on December 18, 2003. In the "Herzliya speech," which for the first time presented the Gaza disengagement plan, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said: "Israel will deliver on all its obligations, including on the matter of settlement construction. There will be no construction beyond the existing construction lines. There will be no land confiscations meant for construction, no special economic incentives, and there is no construction of special settlements." Nobody stood up or protested: "What construction? What agreement?" The current U.S. position on the matter is embarrassing, to say the least. The current secretary of state said no mention of the agreement can be found in the administration's records. Yet a former senior White House official, Elliot Abrams, wrote in the Wall Street Journal that an agreement was reached. "I was there," he noted. Indeed, there was an agreement, which was documented (at least in Israeli records) and publicly announced. Even a verbal agreement must be honored, as long as there is substantial evidence of such an agreement's existence. Moreover, nothing fundamental has changed in the past six years that justifies the annulment of the agreement. U.S. denials are not only unfair and unjust; they are also unwise. Once final-status peace treaties are secured, they will require many American guarantees and obligations, especially in respect to long-term security arrangements. Without these, it is doubtful whether an agreement can be reached. Yet if decision-makers in Israel discover that an American pledge is only valid as long as the president in question is in office, nobody will want such pledges. The ancient rule whereby "agreements must be honored" is the basis for social and political order in the world. Israel's right for limited construction in Judea and Samaria communities, within existing construction lines, was agreed upon as an exception to the construction freeze clause in the Roadmap. The writer served as chief of staff to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.