Aug  11, 2001

Mubarak to Israeli TV, peace needs brave hearts

President Hosni Mubarak warned of dangers of the Israeli policy of violence against the Palestinians, noting that the resumption of negotiations is the only way for putting an end to violence.

    In an interview with Israeli TV Channel 2 aired late Friday, Mubarak wondered how President Yasser Arafat could stop violence in a time when blood is shed, children are orphaned and houses are destroyed.

    He referred to statements made by Israeli national infrastructure minister Ivegdor Liberman in which he spoke of striking the High Dam, comprehensive war and striking Tehran.

    The Israelis are the only ones in the region who propagate a comprehensive war, Mubarak said.

The interview went as follows:

Q: What is the immediate solution, since the situation is on the verge of explosion?

    A: The matter is in the hands of the Israelis. I’m not defending the Palestinians but rather peace and security in the region. I’m defending the peoples that put their lives in the hands of their rulers. There must be a solution.

    Saying that there must be a full ceasefire before resuming negotiations is a risk. With such a condition, I see no solution. We talked with the Palestinian leadership and convinced them and there was a period of calmness. But you demolished houses and sparked resentment and as a result, violence increased again. It is wrong to imagine that we have a button to press for stopping violence.

Q: Is not Arafat able to do it?

    A: Arafat can stop violence to some extent. However, he could not stop all acts of violence. I’m not defending him. I want you to realize it and to understand the nature of the peoples. You are demolishing their houses and beating their children and you want their leader to order them to stop violence and give up stone throwing. They would swear him this way.

Q: but day after day, officials of the Israeli government say that Arafat can do it, if he wants!

    A: Everyone says if Arafat wants it, he can do it, only for the process to continue. We have once talked with Arafat and the Arabs talked to him and he could calm down the situation as much as he could. You know that the Palestinians are not easy. Some of them swore us.

Q: Who swore you?

    A: The Palestinians said Mubarak entrapped Arafat and organized a summit and Clinton brought Barak. I convened that summit in response to the Arafat’s request. Yet, some of them said Mubarak seeks stopping the Intifada. It has nothing to do with the Intifada. You want to stop the Intifada and violence, and then we have to take the risk, calm down and sit for negotiations.

Q: What is this risk?

    A: If violence is expected, we should start negotiations.

Q: Despite violence!

    A: Despite violence. This is the way to bring all sides to the negotiating table. This is the way that urges everyone do whatever one has to do.

Q: But Sharon said that as long as there is violence, there would be no negotiations!

    A: Thus, there would be no negotiations for a hundred years. You gave orders to your soldiers to open fire as they like. Then, how can you stop violence?

    There is no logic or reality in these words. Let’s think soundly, bearing in mind that our decisions may result in the death of the citizens here and there, be them Palestinians or Israelis. We should all take into account that seeking ruin for the sake of the elections and votes will not work. Look to US leaders. Take Menahem Begin as an example. He was a strong man and Sadat said that he liked dealing with the strong. That was what led to peace. Rabin was also a very strong man and I told him, in this same place, to take care that the extremists would react. He said that he understood and expected that. Later on, they blasted a bus in Tel Aviv. Rabin said that he would combat terrorism in parallel with the peace process. One must take the risk to continue the peace process. If one is afraid, there will be no way at all.

Q: Is there any place where you can meet with Sharon to get him to understand this?

    A: Listen, that happened with Begin and there were pre-contacts and good understanding. I think one of the former US president Carter, the Shah or Shawshesko told Sadat that the man would solve the issue with him. Accordingly, Sadat took the initiative.

Q: Don’t you trust Sharon?

    A: It is not a matter of trust. All incidents that took place since Sharon assumed power do not persuade me of taking any risks with him. Once he assumed power, Sharon had sent me a message.

Q: Sharon sent you a message?

    A: Yes. He sent me through security organs and said that he knows the meaning, scourge of war and its repercussions on the citizens and that he wants to end his career by peace.

Q: I remember that late president Sadat was always saying that the biggest obstacle of the future of the relations between peoples is the psychological barrier. How can we solve the problem of hatred?

    A: You are the reason behind it. The Israeli leaders are creating hatred by the rumors they propagate about comprehensive war, killing the Palestinians and murdering activists and Arafat.

Q: You are always speaking about peace as a strategic option. I want to understand your viewpoint, namely for Israel, peace means no war. Or, do you believe that Israel is a foreign case that came to the Middle East and will vanish one day, and that the Israelis came here but they do not belong to the region?

    A: Look, when we signed peace pact with Israel, tourists started to come to Egypt and businessmen began to meet. At that time, no one believed that the Israelis are discarded or that they have to be demolished. You are thinking strangely. Your acts and the rumors you propagate lead to these problems.

    You have to think soundly and logically for laying a peace foundation. There is a solution to every problem. During this war, you are asking me to sent the Egyptian ambassador back. How come? I cannot act against the will of the public opinion.

Q: The public opinion now is against Israel!

    A: It was not like that two or three years ago. On the contrary, the Israelis used to come here and establish joint ventures. Things were good and the people accepted the matter and started to feel comfort that there was a sort of cooperation in various domains. You have stopped all these. You are the reason. Once the new Israeli government came to office, it said we would strike Egypt; we will strike the High Dam. This is provocative. They said it in other words. You said Egypt is arming itself. The public opinion started to change its viewpoint of Israel.

Q: In your opinion, is there any hope of getting things back on track? Or have we lost the battle?

    A: There can be hope. Yet, the ball is in the Israeli court and the Israelis should take an action that would ease the public opinion. The press, even in the States, France and Britain, is attacking you. You must realize the fault. Do you preserve your people’s lives or not? Do you want your people to live or not? Think logically away from elections and votes.

Q: Would you give me a glimpse of hope now?

    A: Hope still exists. A logical and sound thinking is required to make peace with Syria. Late president Hafez el-Assad, and Bashar I think, accepted peace on condition that Syria would get its lands along with Lebanon. But the problem was with the Palestinians. It was about to be solved. If the negotiations sponsored by Clinton, the last 15 days of his term, had been 6 months earlier, I assure you that the process would have succeeded. However, it came to Sharon and only God knows what will happen to it.

    Sharon may have his hand in history, yet from the wrong gate. He can has hand in history by resuming the process without insisting on full cease of violence. Violence has never stopped, even under Barak, Rabin and Begin.

    You are not angels, neither are the Palestinians. Both of you have to sit to the negotiating table and talk with open hearts if you are really worried about your peoples and want them to live. This is the only way. War and violence will not come to an end except on the negotiating table. Believe me, war has never solved a problem in the world. You must return to the negotiating table