Israel, 1993

I should like to congratulate you,

Mr. President, on your unanimous election to preside over

the forty-eighth session of the United Nations General

Assembly.

We feel strongly that the time has come for all of us -

communities, nations, peoples, families - finally to lay the

last collective wreath on the tombs of the fallen combatants

and on the monuments of our beloved. It is the right way to

honour their memories and to answer the needs of the newly

born. We have to lay the foundations for a new Middle

East.

The peace agreement between us and the Palestinians

is not just an accord signed by political leaders. It is an

ongoing, profound commitment to the next generation of

Arabs and Israelis, Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of

all other faiths.

We know it is not enough to declare an end to war.

We have to try to eradicate the roots of all hostilities. If we

only bring violence down but ignore misery, we may

discover that we have traded one menace for another peril.

Territorial disputes may have been the reason for wars

between nations, and poverty may again become the seed of

violence between peoples. While signing the documents on

the lawn of the White House, I could almost sense the

breeze of a fresh spring, and my imagination began to

wander to the skies of our land, which may have become

brighter to the eyes of all people, both those who agree and

those who oppose. On the lawn one could almost hear the

heavy tread of boots leaving the stage after a hundred years

of hostility. One could have heard the gentle tiptoeing of

new steps making a debut in a world awaiting peace.

Yet we could not depart from reality. I know that the

solution to the Palestinian issue may be the key to a new

beginning, but it is in no way the answer to the many needs

awaiting us upon our return home.

The last decade saw great changes, including the end of

East-West confrontation and the opening of the way for the

gradual disappearance of North-South polarization. The

great continent of Asia and the picturesque continent of

South America introduced the dynamics of an economic

development of their own. The dramatic event in South

Africa is a declaration to the same effect. So, contrary to all

assumptions, it has been demonstrated that neither geography

nor race is a hindrance or an advantage to economic

promise.

We witnessed the end of some wars only to discover

that the warriors did not reach their own promised land.

Some colonized people gained their independence, but they

hardly enjoyed its fruits. The dangers may have been over,

but their hopes evaporated. We have learned that the end of

a war should be the beginning of a new genesis, which will

be the end of belligerency and will put an end to

psychological prejudices.

No nation, rich or poor, is able nowadays to attain

security unless the region in which it exists is secure. The

scope of regional security must exceed the range of ballistic

missiles, which may hit each and all of us.

As we strive to achieve a comprehensive peace, no

wound must remain unhealed.

Geographically speaking, we live side by side with the

Jordanian Kingdom, and what is so obvious geographically

must become clear politically. We have already agreed with

the Hashemite Kingdom on many complicated issues, and

there is no doubt that we can complete the story fully, that

we can offer the people on both sides of the river full peace,

that the Dead Sea can become a spring of new life and that

the old waters of the River Jordan can be a source of

prosperity flowing from each side to the other.

We hope - as a matter of fact, we are determined - to

make peace with Syria, yet we ask the Syrian leadership, if

it has chosen peace, why it refuses to meet openly. If Syria

is aiming for the Egyptian fruits of peace, it must follow the

process that led to them. Both of us have to look ahead and

realize that the threats of war are no more than an illusion

that one can return to an unbearable past.

We shall not give up our negotiations with our

Lebanese neighbours. We do not have any territorial claims

or any political pretensions concerning Lebanon. We pray,

together with many Lebanese, that their country will no

longer be a back yard for troublemakers. It is for Lebanon

to make a choice between Hizbollah, on the one hand, which

operates from its territory and then takes orders from another

Government, and, on the other, insisting on having one

army, one policy, and offering real tranquillity to its people

and security to its neighbours. Lebanon does not need a

license to regain its independence, and Lebanon should not

postpone its return to its balanced, traditional policy.

I am not sure whether there is a new order in the

world, but all of us feel there is a new world awaiting an

order. We are encouraged by the new attempt of the United

Nations and its Secretary-General to answer the social and

22 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

economic call of the present era. The United Nations was

created as a political answer; today it must face social and

economic questions.

The Middle East, which has been an important agenda

item in United Nations history, must become prosperous, not

only peaceful. To construct a modern Middle East we need

wisdom no less than financial support.

We have to rid ourselves of the costly follies of the

past and adopt the principles of modern economy. Who

will, and who should, pay the cost of oversized armies?

Who will, and who should, bear the price of an arms race

whose cost has reached $50 billion annually? Who will, and

who should, pay for the inefficiencies of old systems? Who

will, and who should, compensate for outmoded censorship

of mail and control of trade and travel? And who will

comply with the State where suspicion intercepts the

enterprising spirit of the people?

We can, and we should, turn to the promises of

scientific development, the market economy and

comprehensive education. We must base our industry,

agriculture and services on the highest of today’s

technologies. We have to invest in our schools. Israel, a

country of immigration, is blessed with many scientists and

engineers. We shall gladly make this human wealth

available as a contribution.

I know that there is suspicion; that, when referring to

a common market in the Middle East or announcing an

Israeli contribution, it may be perceived as an attempt to win

preference or to establish domination. May I say sincerely

and loudly that we did not give up territorial control to

engage ourselves in economic superiority. The age of

domination, political or economic, is dead. The time of

cooperation has begun.

As a Jew, may I say that the virtue and the essence of

our history since the times of Abraham and the

commandments of Moses have been an uncompromising

opposition to any form of occupation, domination and

discrimination. For us, Israel is not just a territorial

homeland, but a permanent moral commitment as well.

There are other questions, concerning the building of a

common market in the Middle East, as to how to attain this

when governments are so varied and economies are so

different. The differences in governments and economies

should not prevent us from doing together what can be done

together: combating the desert and offering fertility to an

arid land.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United

Nations declared that the Middle East must double its

agricultural production in the 25 years to come. The

population of the region in the same period will double itself

anyway. The land is cut by many and large deserts and its

water resources are stingy and scarce. Yet we know that in

a similar period of time - the 25 years between 1950 and 1975 -

Israel was able to increase its agricultural output twelvefold -

an increase unprecedented in history.

During the past decade, 95 per cent of the growth of

our agriculture resulted from research, planning, training and

organizing. High technology permits nations to attain real

independence and to experience genuine freedom, political

as well as economic. There is nothing new about the

scarcity of water in our midst. Jacob and Esau drank from

the same wells even when their paths were separated. But

then, unlike today, they could not desalinate the sea water;

they could not computerize irrigation; nor could they enjoy

the potential of biotechnology.

We are meeting again with an entirely different

opportunity. Greening the land can be accompanied by the

creation of many new jobs for all people in the area. The

most promising opportunity may be the development of

tourism. No other branch of modern industry assures an

immediate growth of the Middle East like this one. Our area

is blessed by nature and by history, a history which is still

very much alive: the eternity of Jerusalem, the magnificence

of the pyramids, the symbols of Luxor, the Hanging Gardens

of Babylon, the Pillars of Wisdom in Baalbek, the red

palaces of Petra, the inimitable charm of Marakesh, the old

winds which still blow in Carthage, not forgetting the

beaches of Gaza or the scent of Jericho’s perfumed fruits.

We have to open roads to those wonders and keep them safe

and hospitable. Tourism depends on tranquility; tourism

enhances tranquillity. It makes friendship a vested interest.

Thirdly, we have to build an infrastructure with modern

means so as to avoid the pitfalls of the past. Modern

transportation and revolutionary communications crossing the

air, covering the ground and connecting the seas will turn

geographical proximities into an economic advantage. We

should not ask taxpayers of other countries to finance follies

of our own. We have to correct them ourselves. We do not

have the moral right to ask for the financing of unnecessary

wars or wasteful systems.

If the thumping of hammers replaces the thunder of

guns, many nations will be more than willing to extend a

helping hand. They will invest in a better future. They will

support the replacement of unwarranted confrontation with

Forty-eighth session - 28 September l993 23

much-needed economic competition. Markets can serve the

needs of the people no less than flags can signify their

destinies. The time has come to build a Middle East for the

people and not just for the rulers.

It was not simple to open the locked doors to peace. In

the name of God, let them not be closed again. Let peace

be comprehensive, embracing all issues, all countries, all

generations. We suggest that we all negotiate together as

equals. We offer a common ground of mutual respect and

mutual compromise. Thirteen years have passed since we

made peace with Egypt. We are grateful to Egypt and its

President for expanding understanding, overt and hidden. In

a world in which so many insoluble problems reside, the

Palestinians and we have finally shown that in fact there are

no insoluble problems, only people who tend to believe that

many problems are insoluble.

We have negotiated one of the most complicated issues

of the last 100 years. We are grateful to the United States

for its support and leadership. We are grateful to both

President Clinton and Secretary Christopher for their crucial

role. We appreciate the Egyptian role and the Norwegian

encouragement; the European involvement and serious

contribution; the Asian support and blessing. Maybe we

now have the right to say to other people in conflict: "Do

not give up. Do not surrender to old obsessions and do not

take fresh disappointments at face value." What we did,

others can do as well.

We are determined to make the agreement with the

Palestinians into a permanent success. Israel would consider

the economic success of the Palestinians as though it were

its own, and I believe that a newly achieved security will

serve the aspirations of the Israelis and the necessities of the

Palestinians.

Gaza, after 7,000 years of suffering, can emancipate

itself from want. Jericho, without its fallen walls, can see its

gardens blossom again.

As the twentieth century comes to a close, we have

learned from the United States and Russia that there are no

military answers to the new military dangers, only political

solutions. Successful economies are no longer a monopoly

of the rich and the mighty. They represent an open

invitation to every nation ready to adopt the combination of

science and open-mindedness. We see at the end of this

century that politics can achieve more by good will than by

power, and that the young generation watching their

televisions compare their lot with the fortunes or misfortunes

of others. They see freedom, they watch peace, they view

prosperity, all in real time. They know that they can attain

more if they work harder.

If we want to represent their hopes, we have to

combine wise policies and regional security with market

economies. Historically we were born equal, and equally we

can give birth to a new age.

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the

plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of

24 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall

drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt." (The

Holy Bible, Amos 9:13)

So said the Prophet.