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US Letters of Assurance to Israel Regarding Wye Memorandum Issues
October, 1998

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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


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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

 

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