Announcement by the Prime Minister of the Israeli-Jordanian Accords and the approval of the Washington Declaration
August 3, 1994
Honorable President of the State, Mr. Chairman, Members of Knesset,
Today, we have come to announce to the Members of Knesset, to the citizens of the State of Israel and to the members of the Jewish people wherever they may be, that the state of war between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Jordanian Kingdom has come to an end. We have come today to say to the Members of Knesset, to the citizens of the State of Israel, that last week in Washington, we took another significant step towards peace.
Members of Knesset, the government of Israel today, places on your table, with gratification and not a little pride, the Washington Declaration that was signed in the capital of the United States on the 17th of Av 5754, the 25th of July 1994. Four pages of paper that were placed on the table of the Knesset today are the abstract of the dream of peace between Israel and Jordan which in the days ahead, we all believe and hope, will turn into a full peace treaty.
Members of Knesset, for dozens of years, all of Israel’s prime ministers have stood on this podium. From this podium, all of Israel’s prime ministers turned to the leaders of Arab states and called them to end the state of war and bring peace to the peoples of the Middle East. The calls by Israel’s prime ministers repeated themselves regularly, tiringly and boring, and over the years turned into a routine cliché that nobody paid attention to anymore, because Cairo was silent, Amman did not react, Damascus remained mute. Our hands that we extended in peace were forced to press on the trigger, in the war for our lives here. The first prime minister who had the privilege of standing on this podium and seeing his calls for peace favorably received was Menachem Begin of blessed memory. Together with the President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, he spun the threads of the first peace between Israel and the largest Arab state, Egypt. The belief that other Arab nations would follow in Egypt’s footsteps disappointed, and the voice of the State of Israel remained as a voice calling in the desert. We remained with our isolation: two countries, one peace. On the day that the current government was presented to the Knesset, I reiterated a call to the Arab states and to the Palestinians to end the Israeli-Arab conflict and start a new chapter in the history of nations. To the Palestinians who have never known even a day in their lives of freedom and happiness, we offered autonomy, with its advantages and limitations. To the King of Jordan, the presidents of Syria and Lebanon, we called to come to this podium and speak peace. The Palestinians responded and we have now just completed actualizing the Gaza-Jericho First agreement. We are continuing the negotiations with them. Following the Palestinians, King Hussein has now extended a hand in peace, and it would be correct to say that without the agreement with the Palestinians, it would not have been possible to reach the Washington Declaration.
Members of Knesset, for generations, the Jewish people, and afterwards, the State of Israel, have had a special and complex relationship with the Hashemite family and the Kingdom of Jordan which was born out of the problem of the Land of Israel. Love and hate served this relationship in a mixture since we sought an understanding with the Hashemite home, after the First World War, in the meeting between Weizmann and the Amir Faisal. A lot of water has passed through the Jordan River since then, a lot of blood too. Jordan participated in wars and acts of contempt against us. The Jordanians have brought harsh bodily and emotional pain upon us: Jerusalem was divided, and a wall was placed in its heart, Jews were prevented from prayer at the site of the remains of the Temple and access to it, Gush Etzion was destroyed, studies were suspended at the university on Mt. Scopus, which we ascended in armored convoys, snipers shot through windows of homes on the urban line, infiltrators came into Israeli settlements leading to Jerusalem, they stole, they murdered. In Jerusalem, and in Amman, families cried over the deaths of their loved ones. Only in the Six-Day War did the IDF soldiers notice the suffering of Israel.
Members of Knesset, it’s an open secret that alongside acts of contempt, we have maintained unique relations with the Hashemite family, and the head of the family, King Abdallah, paid for this with his life. Despite the dangers, despite the hardships, we maintained these special ties even in the most difficult times for the State of Israel, and for Jordan. Only a very little has been exposed regarding these relations, for which we owe thanks to the first of those who wove these threads with the Hashemite home even before the establishment of the State, from Haim Arlozorov, Moshe Sharett, Ezra Danin, Aharon Haim Hacohen, Golda Meir, Reuven Shiloah, Moshe Dayan to Yaakov Herzog, Eliyahu Sasson, Levi Eshkol, and Yigal Allon, of blessed memory, and many others living among us today and for whom we hold great respect.
Members of Knesset, during the term of the previous government, under the leadership of Yitzhak Shamir, in October 1991, the Madrid process began. Since then we have had two important landmarks in relations with Jordan: the first, was the formal and public approval of the agenda between Israel and Jordan in September 1993; the second in a public meeting, the first of its kind, between Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Prince Hassan, and President Clinton in the White House in October 1993. During this meeting the decision was made for convening a trilateral economic committee among the three states. Over time, the relations were tightened, and joint discussions were held with King Hussein and members of his court and his government, until we reached the signing of the Washington Declaration in front of a large audience in Washington last week.
Members of Knesset, the declaration is placed on your table, with its complete contents. It has no secret appendixes; it has no additions. Your eyes see the entire document.
What does the Washington Declaration contain? The declaration is complex, on the one hand, with new components which hold the foundations of a full peace treaty when that will be signed; and on the other hand, with components agreed upon with Jordan to date, beginning with the agreed agenda signed in Washington. Additional elements are from the agreements from the bilateral negotiations in Washington and in the Jordanian hotel at the Dead Sea on July 20th, which also included a joint declaration with the Prime Minister of Jordan, the Foreign Minister of Israel, and the Secretary of State of the United States. The main subject of the Washington Declaration is the end of the state of warfare. The end of the state of warfare is a transitional stage towards signing a complete peace agreement.
Mr. Chairman, Members of Knesset, I must add, the expression that appears in the Washington Declaration is in the English language: “end of the state of belligerency,” and in Hebrew, “end of the state of warfare.” Because the term, end of the state of war, appears in the peace agreement with Egypt, and is clear to every person, we proposed to the Jordanians to use this term. However, they preferred, in their cautious way, to stick to the term, the end of the state of warfare, though in a verbal message from King Hussein, we were told that from their point of view the meaning is identical, and therefore it will also be expressed publicly. And indeed, the King in his remarks at the White House and in the Congress said in explicit language, and I quote from his address in the White House on July 25th: “The term used in international documents which are related to us to date is the state of warfare and the end of the state of warfare. I believe that in the Arabic language and in the Hebrew language, our peoples do not have such a term. Yet we have reached the end of the state of war, and are committed to the ending of the state of war between Jordan and Israel.” Indeed, there is nothing ambiguous here, but the clearest message: the state of war between Israel and Jordan has ended. I would like to direct your attention to the fact that the matter of a peace treaty is clearly expressed in this document: the Jordanians indeed speak about comprehensive peace, yet in the Washington Declaration it is explicitly stated that the purpose is to sign a peace treaty.
Mr. Chairman, Members of Knesset, naturally, the clause regarding Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem aroused great concern. With your permission, I will set the ball back a little and quote from the things I said to you on the day that I presented the government, “This government, like all its predecessors, believes there are no controversies in this house regarding the eternal status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The whole and united Jerusalem was and will forever be the capital of the Jewish people, under the sovereignty of Israel, a focus for the yearnings and dreams of every Jew. The government is steadfast in its stand that Jerusalem is not a bargaining chip. The years ahead will continue to be marked by expanded construction in greater Jerusalem. Every Jew, religious and secular, swears, ‘if I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand be forgotten’ – an oath uniting all of us. We also said at that time, “The government will protect freedom of ritual practices of members of all the other religions in Jerusalem, it will strictly guard free access to the holy sites of all ethnicities and will enable life to be comfortably arranged for all those entering its gates and residing in it.” The Jerusalem clause in the Washington Declaration, in our opinion generated much ado about nothing. I suggest going back and re-reading this clause, in which it says: “Israel respects the special, current role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan at the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. When negotiations will be conducted on the permanent arrangement, Israel will grant high priority to the historic Jordanian role at these holy sites. In addition, both sides agreed to promote interreligious relations between the three monotheistic religions.” What can we learn from these remarks? This clause comes to photograph the current situation, in which the Jordanians indeed, even after the Six-Day War, over the twenty-seven years that have transpired since then, fill a role in managing the sites that are holy to Islam in Jerusalem. It is promised therein, that in negotiations over the permanent arrangements, Israel will give – it is Israel that will give – high priority to this role of the Jordanians. I reiterate and emphasize, and repeat: there is nothing in these remarks offering any waivers in matters of Jerusalem or regarding Israel’s status in it and in the places that are holy to Jews. When the time comes, and upon discussion of all the holy sites for the permanent arrangement, of course, we will consult with all the Jewish religious entities, the Ministry of Religions and the Chief Rabbinate.
Mr. Chairman, Members of Knesset, aside from the positive declarations and commitments to the continuation of negotiations on various subjects until they are exhausted in a peace treaty, there are a number of agreements in the Washington Declaration for conducting practical steps to illustrate the new situation. Yesterday, there were already negotiations in the Arava regarding telephone connections between us and Jordan. We are waiting for the moment, and it is not far, when we will dial from Tel Aviv and speak with Amman and the other way around. New points of passage between Jordan and Israel will open and the other way around. Discussion of this matter is underway, whereas, at this stage, we are talking about a passage for tourists and people holding a foreign passport. We believe and hope that the day is not far when Israeli and Jordanian tourists will come and go as if it were always that way. Moreover, in the Washington Declaration, there is discussion of a connection of electrical networks, an air passage between Israel and Jordan, police collaboration in fighting crime and drugs, and of course economic issues, including a commitment to a future cancellation of embargos. Regarding all of these, and many other issues, including border security, water, environmental protection, energy and the range of economic issues – we will continue to address them in negotiations this week and in the weeks ahead.
Members of Knesset, great days have come to Israel. Even if the difficulties are great, even if the effort is considerable, even if we are having moments of bitter disappointment and hours of drawbacks, still, there is no doubt in our hearts: the Arab peoples are joining us on the path to peace. The road is still long, the labor is still incomplete, and it is ours to do.
In the Washington Declarations, King Hussein is our full partner, and his people join him, and we are scrutinizing their brave steps and wise and difficult decisions with great hope. Above all, the American people, led by the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, and the people in his government are our partners, without whose devotion to the purpose, without whose persistence and contribution, we might not have been privileged to reach the signing of the Washington Declaration. From Jerusalem, we send our wholehearted thanks to the President and to the American people.
Members of Knesset, there are also many others worthy of gratitude. When we stop at this station, on the road to peace, it is an obligation and a great privilege to place them on the tablets of our hearts: they are the citizens of Israel and the fallen IDF soldiers of all times, from the riots of 1947 and to this day, who are no longer witness to the great excitement affecting us at this time, whose eyes cannot see the tears of joy in our eyes. Today, in our eyes, we have tears of pain that they were not privileged to see the arrival of this day on the road to peace. Our hearts today are with the families who want to share in our joy, and tremendous pain prevents them from being excited, clapping a hand, smiling. Today we are with the IDF disabled and injured, with the citizens who, for forty-six years carry the pain and scars of acts of enmity from Jordan on their bodies.
Members of Knesset, the great privilege has become ours today to be witnesses and partners to fine moments in the history of the State of Israel. I will conclude with the verse from the Book of Kings I, in which there is a sort of wish for us all, and he had peace on all sides round about him. Let it be.
In the name of the government, I ask for the approval of the Knesset for the Washington Declaration. Thank you.
