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A Chat With Prime Minister Ariel Sharon

(New York Times) William Safire - Israel is not interested in being involved in a campaign against Iraq. We'll support America's decision and will show sensitivity to U.S. needs by exercising maximum restraint. At the same time, if our citizens are attacked seriously - by a weapon of mass destruction, chemical, biological, or by some mega-terror act - and suffer casualties, then Israel will respond. The Syrians, together with the Iranians, are escalating tension on our northern border. Assad's son is completely under the influence of Hizballah, helping them more than his father ever thought about, integrating the terrorists into Syria's front-line forces. And the Iranians have supplied those terrorists with 9,000 to 10,000 rockets, maybe including a new one with a 200-mile range. If war comes, Syria-Iran-Hizballah may be surrogates for Saddam, opening a second front to help him. The diversion of one of the sources of the Jordan River in Lebanon is a blatant violation of law that does damage to a strategic resource, and is a matter of life and death to us. We accepted the U.S. proposal to negotiate, but if the diplomatic process does not produce results, Israel will be forced to act. There are those Palestinians who realize Israel won't be able to move forward until the end of the terror attacks and a different leadership emerges. We have seen positive signs that Palestinian society is moving toward reforms, especially economic reforms, though slowly; first, Arafat must remove his hands from the cash flow. The U.S. knows who are the leaders who support reform, and they should be strengthened. Thank God, at this historic moment, the U.S. is leading the free world toward liberation from fear of terror.
2002-10-21 00:00:00
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