US Letters of Assurance to
Israel
Regarding Wye Memorandum Issues |
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Introduction
In conjunction with the Wye River Plantation memorandum, agreed upon between Israel, the Palestinians and the United States, US official provided several letters of guarantee and intention to Israel, regarding nullification of the PLO Charter , reduction in the number of Palestinian police to that permitted by the Oslo accords, the trilateral committee to monitor incitement, extent of Israeli redeployments, and the issue of "revolving door" prisoner release policy of the Palestine National Authority. However, the PNA did not subsequently reduce the number of police, nor did the policy of releasing persons arrested by the PNA for terror activities cease entirely. The relevant provisions of the Palestinian National Charter regarding destruction of Israel were nullified in a special assembly of the PNC, witnessed by US President Clinton in December 1998.
The letters of assurance provided by Dennis Ross, who was Special Middle East coordinator, and by Edwin Walker, US ambassador to Israel, are below.
Ami Isseroff
Notice - Copyright
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Embassy of the United States of America
Tel Aviv
October 31, 1998
Mr. Dani Naveh
Cabinet Secretary
Office of the Prime Minister
Jerusalem
Dear Dani:
I wanted to confirm our policy on the issues of Permanent Status
Negotiations and Prisoner Releases. In this regard, the statements
issued publicly by the State Department are accurate and represent our
policies.
With regard to Permanent Status Negotiations, the statement said:
"the U.S. is highly sensitive to the vital importance of the permanent
status issues to Israel's future. We recognize that the security of the
State of Israel and the Israeli public is at stake, and the U.S.
commitment to Israel's security remains ironclad."
"We appreciate that if the U.S. is invited by both parties to
participate in the permanent status talks, which are to be conducted
between Israel and the Palestinians on a bilateral basis, we will do so
for the purpose of facilitating the negotiations."
"Only Israel can determine its own security needs and decide what
solutions will be satisfactory."
"We also understand that any decision to convene or seek to convene a
summit to resolve permanent status issues will need the agreement of
both parties."
As for the issue of prisoner releases and the question of a "revolving
door", the statement said: "we have had discussions
with the Palestinians and they have given us a firm commitment that
there will be no 'revolving door'."
These public statements by the State Department represent our policies.
We will not change them and they will remain our
policies in the future.
Sincerely,
Edward S. Walker Jr.
Ambassador
______________________________________________________________
Embassy of the United States of America
Tel Aviv
October 29, 1998
Mr. Dani Naveh
Cabinet Secretary
Office of the Prime Minister
Jerusalem
Dear Dani:
I wanted to confirm our policy on the issue of the 3rd phase of further
redeployment. In this regard, the statement issued publicly by the State
Department on October 27, 1998, is accurate and represents our policy.
Regarding the third further redeployment, the statement said:
"during the discussions leading to this agreement, the U.S. made clear
to both parties that it will not adopt any position or express any view
about the size or the content of the third phase of Israel's further
redeployment, which is an Israeli responsibility to implement rather
than negotiate."
"Under the terms of the memorandum, an Israeli-Palestinian committee is
being established. Nonetheless we urge the parties not to be distracted
from the urgent task of negotiating permanent status arrangements, which
are at the heart of the matter and which will determine the future of
the area."
"Our own efforts have been and will continue to be dedicated
to that vital task."
This public statement by the State Department represents our policy. We
will not change it and it will remain our policy in the
future.
Sincerely,
Edward S. Walker, Jr.
Ambassador
_______________________________________________________
Embassy of the United States of America
Tel Aviv
October 29, 1998
Mr. Dani Naveh
Cabinet Secretary
Office of the Prime Minister
Jerusalem
Dear Dani:
I wanted to confirm our policy on the issues of unilateral actions and
the Charter of the PLO. In this regard, the statements issued publicly
by the State Department on October 27, 1998,
are accurate and represent our policies.
With regard to unilateral declarations or other unilateral actions, the
statement said: "as regards to the possibility of a unilateral
declaration of statehood or other unilateral actions by
either party outside the negotiating process that prejudge or
predetermine the outcome of those negotiations, the U.S. opposes and
will oppose any such unilateral actions."
"Indeed, the U.S. has maintained for many years that an acceptable
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be found through
negotiations, not through unilateral actions.
And as we look to the future, that will remain our policy."
"For the present, we are doing all we can to promote permanent status
negotiations on an accelerated basis. And we are stressing that those
who believe that they can declare unilateral positions or take
unilateral acts, when the interim period ends, are courting disaster."
With regard to the PNC, the statement said: "the Wye River Agreement
specifies that the members of the PNC (as well as the members of the PLO
Central Council, the Palestinian Council and the Heads of Palestinian
Ministries) will be invited to a meeting which President Clinton will
attend."
"The purpose of this meeting of the PNC and other PLO organizations is
to reaffirm Chairman Arafat's January 22 letter to President Clinton
nullifying each of the Charter's provisions that are inconsistent with
the PLO's commitments to renounce terror, and to recognize and live in
peace with Israel."
"This process of reaffirmation will make clear, once and for all, that
the provisions of the PLO Charter that call for the destruction of Israel
are null and void."
These public statements by the State Department represent our policies.
We will not change them and they will remain our
policies in the future.
Sincerely,
Edward S. Walker, Jr.
Ambassador
_______________________________________________________
U.S. State Department
Washington, D.C.
October 30, 1998
Mr. Dani Naveh
Cabinet Secretary
Government of Israel
Dear Mr. Naveh:
I wanted to provide further clarification of the understanding of the
United States regarding one of the issues addressed in the "Wye River
Memorandum."
With respect to the Palestinian side's provision of its list of
policemen to Israel (II(C)(1)(a)), the U.S. has been assured that it
will receive all appropriate information concerning current and former
policemen as part of our assistance program. It is also our
understanding that it was agreed by the two sides that the total number
of Palestinian policemen would not exceed
30,000.
Sincerely,
Dennis B. Ross
Special Middle East Coordinator
_______________________________________________________
United States Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
October 23, 1998
Mr. Dani Naveh
Israeli-Palestinian Monitoring
and Steering Committee
Dear Dani:
With regard to the current or former U.S. elected official to be
appointed to the trilateral incitement committee referred to in "The Wye
River Memorandum", we intend to consult with the Israeli Government to
confirm that the appointment would be mutually satisfactory.
Sincerely,
Dennis B. Ross
Special Middle East Coordinator