Yitzhak Rabin quotes
A diplomatic peace is not yet the real peace. It is an essential step in the peace process leading towards a real peace.
All this must be tested in a comprehensive structure, and not as the Syrians have been trying since the Madrid Conference, demanding that Israel first agree to full withdrawal before we sit down and talk.
Enough of blood and tears. Enough!
I await the moment when, within the framework of an agreement, not of withdrawal without agreement, Israeli soldiers will not have to patrol the greater Gaza area, and suffer such losses as we have know in the seven years of the intifada.
I believe however that peace is attainable regardless of the Arabs mentality, society or government.
I believe that Arafat made a serious error in not condemning it. But his behavior is not a criterion for the behavior of the Israeli government, and I therefore do not think that the correct response is to stop the negotiations.
I believe that it is my responsibility as the prime minister of Israel to do whatever can be done to exploit the unique opportunities that lie ahead of us to move towards peace. Not everything can be done by one act.
I believe, too, that we will prevail over them. We have known terrorist attacks in the past, and I am afraid there is no hermetic solution to terrorism.
I considered the prevention of war as the test of our security policy; in addition to being able to rapidly and forcefully end any war forced upon us.
I think that there is an opportunity for Arafat and those with him to reach a political solution, to take over Gaza, except of course all that was agreed upon on the basis of the Cairo Agreement and the attached map.
Israel has an important principle: It is only Israel that is responsible for our security.
It is not worth the paper it is written on unless it is backed by the kind of force that will make the other side consider the penalties too heavy to break the agreement.
It is the duty of the government to guarantee maximum security, and this is not an easy task.
No Arab ruler will consider the peace process seriously so long as he is able to toy with the idea of achieving more by the way of violence.
Our effort today is to achieve a combined political solution, and first of all to rid ourselves of Gaza.
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