WEYMOUTH: What do you think of the concern that Israel could destroy the coalition [against bin Laden and the Taliban] by taking aggressive action against the Palestinians? PERES: Israel is not being asked [by Washington] to make concessions but to change the atmosphere. On so many occasions the United States has answered Israel’s requests; so if there is an American request, I see no reason not to answer it.
And the request is? Keep a low profile; try to reduce tension.
I understand President Bush told you that Israel should pull out of Palestinian areas [which Israel entered after the assassination of Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi]. The president modified the State Department declaration which said we have to pull out “immediately”; he said [pull out] as soon as possible. I told him, we understand your strategy. As a good Jewish boy, I would have never dreamed that I would pray for the safety of Musharraf, the president of Pakistan. That is a most unexpected experience. But we understand and don’t want to have an agenda of our own.
An agenda that would undermine that of the United States? Yes. The problem is that we have to get Arafat to do what he says. There is a gap between what he says and what he does.
Didn’t you meet with Arafat and talk to him about arresting terrorists? Yes. [An Israeli] woman was killed by a group of terrorists in Bethlehem. The head of the group was Atef Abayat. I went to Arafat and said, “Put him in jail, because he plans to do more of the same.” Arafat said he would arrest him. The next day, [Abayat] appeared on Israeli television and said he was never investigated. So I said to Arafat, “You are making a mockery of yourself and of me.” Then the head of Arafat’s security forces called me and said, “I swear by God that [Abayat] is in jail.” Two days later he was killed while driving a jeep. It’s a matter of credibility.
He was killed by Israelis? If he had been in jail, he would not have been killed.
Who killed Tourism Minister Zeevi? Four people did it. One is in our hands. We told the Palestinians, get hold of the other three, and we want them extradited for the killing.
Could Arafat arrest them if he wanted to? Leadership is difficult. It calls for a risk. But in my judgment he won’t be able to lead the Palestinians to independence unless he acts.
Many people think since Arafat turned down former prime minister Ehud Barak’s [land for peace] offer, it proves he’s not interested in a negotiated solution. I think the negotiations were conducted in a disorganized manner.
Do you favor [Barak’s] idea of unilateral separation? This is a mistake. There is no replacement for an agreement. Suppose we withdraw. What if the Palestinians invite the Syrian Army to come in? What are we going to do?
Is there any hope of getting the peace talks restarted with the Palestinians? At the height of a crisis, there is an invisible opportunity. I wouldn’t like to overlook it. The Palestinians, too, have discovered their limitations. There is no chance that Arafat can achieve anything if he has armed groups shooting in different directions: Islamic Jihad, Hizbullah and Hamas. On America’s most-wanted list is the deputy leader of Hizbullah. He and the leader of Hizbullah paid a secret visit to Iran two days ago.
What does that mean? That they are coordinating with the Iranians. They returned to Lebanon and are attempting to heat up the situation.
Some say the next phase of the war should be waged against Iraq. I think Iraq is on the list. But whether to fight on one or two fronts is a military decision.
What would your advice be? Do first things first.
Topple the Taliban first? Right.
Then do you think the U.S. coalition should go after terrorists in Syria and Iraq? Syria and Iraq are on the list, but it’s better to concentrate on one front. Iraq is a terrible country, and her time will come.
