Bush Pitches Palestinian State

W A S H I N G T O N, June 24, 2002 -- In a long delayed address, President Bush called on Palestinians to elect a new leadership and Israel to begin a withdrawal from the occupied territories. Here is a transcript of his remarks from the White House.

For too long, the citizens of the Middle East have livedin the midst of death and fear. The hatred of a few holds the hopesof many hostage. The forces of extremism and terror are attempting tokill progress and peace by killing the innocent. And this casts adark shadow over an entire region.

For the sake of all humanity, things must change in the MiddleEast.

It is untenable for Israeli citizens to live in terror. It isuntenable for Palestinians to live in squalor and occupation. And thecurrent situation offers no prospect that life will improve. Israelicitizens will continue to be victimized by terrorists, and so Israelwill continue to defend herself, and the situation of the Palestinianpeople will grow more and more miserable.

My vision is two states, living side by side, in peace andsecurity. There is simply no way to achieve that peace until allparties fight terror.

Yet at this critical moment, if all parties will break with thepast and set out on a new path, we can overcome the darkness with thelight of hope.

Peace requires a new and different Palestinian leadership, sothat a Palestinian state can be born. I call on the Palestinianpeople to elect new leaders, leaders not compromised by terror.

I call upon them to build a practicing democracy based ontolerance and liberty.

If the Palestinian people actively pursue these goals, Americaand the world will actively support their efforts. If the Palestinianpeople meet these goals, they will be able to reach agreement withIsrael and Egypt and Jordan on security and other arrangements forindependence.

And when the Palestinian people have new leaders, newinstitutions and new security arrangements with their neighbors, theUnited States of America will support the creation of a Palestinianstate, whose borders and certain aspects of its sovereignty will beprovisional until resolved as part of a final settlement in the MiddleEast.

In the work ahead, we all have responsibilities. The Palestinianpeople are gifted and capable and I'm confident they can achieve a newbirth for their nation.

A Palestinian state will never be created by terror. It will bebuilt through reform. And reform must be more than cosmetic change ora veiled attempt to preserve the status quo. True reform will requireentirely new political and economic institutions based on democracy,market economics and action against terrorism.

Today the elected Palestinian legislature has no authority andpower is concentrated in the hands of an unaccountable few. APalestinian state can only serve its citizens with a new constitutionwhich separates the powers of government.

The Palestinian parliament should have the full authorityof a legislative body. Local officials and government ministers needauthority of their own and the independence to govern effectively.

The United States, along with the European Union and Arab states,will work with Palestinian leaders to create a new constitutionalframework and a working democracy for the Palestinian people. And theUnited States, along with others in the international community, willhelp the Palestinians organize and monitor fair, multi-party localelections by the end of the year with national elections to follow.

Today, the Palestinian people live in economic stagnation, madeworse by official corruption. A Palestinian state will require avibrant economy, where honest enterprise is encouraged by honestgovernment.

The United States, the international donor community and theWorld Bank stand ready to work with Palestinians on a major project ofeconomic reform and development. The United States, the EU, the WorldBank and the International Monetary Fund are willing to overseereforms in Palestinian finances, encouraging transparency andindependent auditing. And the United States, along with our partnersin the developed world, will increase our humanitarian assistance torelieve Palestinian suffering.

Today, the Palestinian people lack effective courts of law andhave no means to defend and vindicate their rights. A Palestinianstate will require a system of reliable justice to punish those whoprey on the innocent. The United States and members of theinternational community stand ready to work with Palestinian leadersto establish, finance and monitor a truly independent judiciary.

Today, Palestinian authorities are encouraging, not opposingterrorism.

This is unacceptable. And the United States will notsupport the establishment of a Palestinian state until its leadersengage in a sustained fight against the terrorists and dismantle theirinfrastructure.

This will require an externally supervised effort to rebuild andreform the Palestinian security services. The security system musthave clear lines of authority and accountability, and a unified chainof command.

America's pursuing this reform along with key regional states.The world is prepared to help, yet ultimately these steps towardstatehood depend on the Palestinian people and their leaders. If theyenergetically take the path of reform, the rewards can come quickly.If Palestinians embrace democracy, confront corruption and firmlyreject terror, they can count on American support for the creation ofa provisional state of Palestine.

With a dedicated effort, this state could rise rapidly, as itcomes to terms with Israel, Egypt and Jordan on practical issues suchas security. The final borders, the capital and other aspects of thisstate's sovereignty will be negotiated between the parties as part ofa final settlement.

Arab states have offered their help in this process, and theirhelp is needed.

I've said in the past that nations are either with us or againstus in the war on terror. To be counted on the side of peace, nationsmust act. Every leader actually committed to peace will endincitement to violence in official media and publicly denouncehomicide bombings. Every nation actually committed to peace will stopthe flow of money, equipment and recruits to terrorist groups seekingthe destruction of Israel, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad andHezbollah.

Every nation actually committed to peace must block theshipment of Iranian supplies to these groups and oppose regimes thatpromote terror, like Iraq.

And Syria must choose the right side in the war on terror byclosing terrorist camps and expelling terrorist organizations.

Leaders who want to be included in the peace process must show bytheir deeds and undivided support for peace.

And as we move toward a peaceful solution, Arab states will beexpected to build closer ties of diplomacy and commerce with Israel,leading to full normalization of relations between Israel and theentire Arab world.

Israel also has a large stake in the success of a democraticPalestine. Permanent occupation threatens Israel's identity anddemocracy. A stable, peaceful Palestinian state is necessary toachieve the security that Israel longs for.

So I challenge Israel to take concrete steps to support theemergence of a viable, credible Palestinian state.

As we make progress toward security, Israel forces need towithdraw fully to positions they held prior to Sept. 28, 2000.And consistent with the recommendations of the Mitchell committee,Israeli settlement activity in the occupied territories must stop.

The Palestinian economy must be allowed to develop. As violencesubsides, freedom of movement should be restored, permitting innocentPalestinians to resume work and normal life. Palestinian legislatorsand officials, humanitarian and international workers, must be allowedto go about the business of building a better future. And Israelshould release frozen Palestinian revenues into honest, accountablehands.

I've asked Secretary Powell to work intensively with MiddleEastern and international leaders to realize the vision of aPalestinian state, focusing them on a comprehensive plan to supportPalestinian reform and institution building.

Ultimately, Israelis and Palestinians must address the coreissues that divide them if there is to be a real peace, resolving allclaims and ending the conflict between them.

This means that the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 will beended through a settlement negotiated between the parties, based onU.N. Resolutions 242 and 338, with Israeli withdrawal to secure andrecognized borders.

We must also resolve questions concerning Jerusalem, theplight and future of Palestinian refugees, and a final peace betweenIsrael and Lebanon and Israel and a Syria that supports peace andfights terror.

All who are familiar with the history of the Middle East realizethat there may be setbacks in this process. Trained and determinedkillers, as we have seen, want to stop it. Yet the Egyptian andJordanian peace treaties with Israel remind us that, with determinedand responsible leadership, progress can come quickly.

As new Palestinian institutions and new leaders emerge,demonstrating real performance on security and reform, I expect Israelto respond and work toward a final status agreement.

With intensive effort by all of us, agreement could be reachedwithin three years from now. And I and my country will actively leadtoward that goal.

I can understand the deep anger and anguish of the Israelipeople. You've lived too long with fear and funerals, having to avoidmarkets and public transportation, and forced to put armed guards inkindergarten classrooms. The Palestinian Authority has rejected youroffered hand and trafficked with terrorists. You have a right to anormal life. You have a right to security. And I deeply believe thatyou need a reformed, responsible Palestinian partner to achieve thatsecurity.

I can understand the deep anger and despair of the Palestinianpeople. For decades you've been treated as pawns in the Middle Eastconflict. Your interests have been held hostage to a comprehensivepeace agreement that never seems to come, as your lives get worse yearby year.

You deserve democracy and the rule of law. You deserve anopen society and a thriving economy. You deserve a life of hope foryour children.

An end to occupation and a peaceful democratic Palestinian statemay seem distance, but America and our partners throughout the worldstand ready to help, help you make them possible as soon as possible.

If liberty can blossom in the rocky soil of the West Bank inGaza, it will inspire millions of men and women around the globe, whoare equally weary of poverty and oppression, equally entitled to thebenefits of democratic government.

I have a hope for the people of Muslim countries. Yourcommitments to morality and learning and tolerance lead to greathistorical achievements, and those values are alive in the Islamicworld today. You have a rich culture, and you share the aspirationsof men and women in every culture. Prosperity and freedom and dignityare not just American hopes or Western hopes, they are universal humanhopes. And even in the violence and turmoil of the Middle East,America believes those hopes have the power to transform lives andnations.

This moment is both an opportunity and a test for all parties inthe Middle East; an opportunity to lay the foundations for futurepeace, a test to show who's serious about peace and who is not.

The choice here is stark and simple, the Bible says, "I have setbefore you life and death, therefore choose life." The time hasarrived for everyone in this conflict to choose peace and hope andlife.

Thank you very much.