Rice: Israel's Security Is Key To Security Of Rest Of World By Avraham Shmuel Lewin, Israel Correspondent
TEL AVIV - In an exclusive interview with Israel's daily Yediot Aharonot recently, National Security Adviser Dr. Condoleezza Rice said that the "security of Israel is the key to security of the world." Rice added that she feels "a deep bond to Israel.
Asked if her feelings toward Israel stem from her religious convictions, Dr. Rice said, "That is a very deep question. I first visited Israel in 2000. I already then felt that I am returning home despite the fact that this was a place I never visited. I have a deep affinity with Israel. I have always admired the history of the State of Israel and the hardness and determination of the people that founded it.
"Israel was a state who in the beginning was not given a chance to survive. She survived mainly because of the hardness of the Israelis and their readiness to sacrifice their lives for the state.
"I am also the daughter of a Presbyterian minister and was brought up on the very moving stories of the Holy Land. They mean a lot to me. When I first visited Mt. Olives, Lake Kinneret, Jerusalem, I felt a very deep emotional experience.
"I think that we, Israel and the U.S., share common values. Israel is the only democracy in the region. That is also very important. When I was in Israel I also was impressed that you have a big economic future. I come from Silicon valley. There are a lot of similarities between the high-tech industry in California and in Israel. I also felt at home in this area.
"I was pleased to hear that Israel is currently exerting great effort in economic reforms. I discussed this at length with Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides. Israel has a very bright future provided that these economic reforms are met.
Rice was asked why the U.S. is not determined to get rid of Yasir Arafat as it was with Saddam Hussein.
"There are several difference between the situation in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," she said. "As President Bush made it clear, there is a potential to resolve the conflict via the solution based on two states, one Israel and the other Palestine. We feel that a two-state formula is for the benefit of both nations.
"In the case of Saddam Hussein, he was a dictator for over 30 years, had violated UN resolutions, he attacked his neighboring countries twice, and developed weapons of mass destruction. The solution to Saddam Hussein had to be military."
Rice was also asked why the U.S., which is opposed to having the European countries that were against the war in Iraq take part in the creation of a new Iraqi government, accepts those same countries as partners in drawing up an Israel-Arab settlement.
"I don't think that we can gain anything by drawing a parallel between the situation in Iraq and the situation with the Palestinians. We never said that whoever was not our partner in the Iraqi war cannot participate in helping form a new government there. Our approach is that all member-states in the UN can participate. We owe this to the Iraqi people. At the same time it must be clear that the coalition who fought Saddam will have a leadership role in this endeavor.
"As for the Israel-Palestinian case, the president feels that anyone in the international community can make a concrete contribution. Israel has a responsibility. The Palestinians have a responsibility. Most certainly the neighboring Arab countries have a responsibility to create a region where Israel will not live under the threat of terror and incitement."
On the issue of settlements, Dr. Rice said, "We always said that settlements were an obstacle to peace."