21 April, 2002
Jerusalem


Mr. Ariel Sharon
The Prime Minister of the State of Israel
Office of the Prime Minister
Jerusalem


Dear Prime Minister:

At this point in time, as the Israel Defense Forces are engaged in destroying the terrorist infrastructure, the question that must be raised is “where do we go from here”? What options do we have, excluding the possibilities either of re-establishing full Israeli control over the territories of Judea and Samaria which were already under full Palestinian control or of again attempting talks with Yasser Arafat after returning these territories to his complete control?

I believe there is another approach. The correct approach to ensure the security of both peoples, both Jews and Arabs, is to assist the Palestinians in constructing an open and free society that is not burdened by the fear, terror and hatred that have been sown in recent years by Arafat and his leadership and one that affords real economic opportunity to all its inhabitants. Only such a Palestinian society can serve as a solid guarantee for normal life and good neighborly relations between the two peoples. Only this approach can serve as a promising starting point for negotiations which can ultimately lead towards a permanent peace settlement.

This plan is based upon the premise that only democracy and economic prosperity for the Palestinian people can bring security for Israel. It defines principles for a Transition Period leading the Palestinians away from terror and towards peace that, in my opinion, if successfully implemented, can bring permanent peace between Israel and the Palestinians.


Guidelines for the Transition Period of the Palestinian Authority from terror to peace and prosperity.

A. Coordinating Body

 

1.      A Coordinating Body, headed by the United States, together with those Arab States who recognize the State of Israel, as its members, will be responsible for establishing a Palestinian Administrative Authority (PAA), determining its makeup, structure and functions.

 

2.      The State of Israel will maintain a right to veto candidates to the PAA if such candidates have any connections to terror activities against Israel.

 

 

 

 

B. Administrative Authority

 

1.      A Palestinian Administrative Authority will be established in the areas under Palestinian control. The PAA will be responsible for administering the day-to-day lives of the Palestinians, in matters such as the economy, police and law enforcement, education, housing, religion, culture and other sectors.

 

2.      The employees of the PAA will be Palestinians who have not been involved, directly or indirectly, in any terror activities.

 

3.      The PAA will operate for a Transition Period of at least three years. During this period, the required democratic structures and conditions will be created so as to enable, the sides to enter into permanent settlement negotiations at the end of the Period.

 

4.      At the end of the Transition Period, free and open elections will be held in these areas. The elections will be administered and overseen by the Coordinating Body, in order to ensure that they are being held in accordance with accepted democratic standards.

 

 

C. Security and Terror Prevention Arrangements

 

1.      During the Transition Period, Israel will continue to be responsible for security, as well as for the freedom of passage, in the entire area from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

 

2.      For security purposes, Israel will have the right to set up transition zones and buffer zones, as well as using any other appropriate method, to prevent the renewal and resurgence of terror activities.

 

 

D. Development of Democratic Life

 

1.      The Coordinating Body, together with the Administrative Authority, will formulate educational programs for all levels, which inculcate values of peace rather than of terror and will eliminate those educational programs which encourage and praise terror.

 

2.      Freedom of political, social and religious association (which is not based on terror) will be established as a means of building a democratic political structure which will support free elections and be responsible for the day to day administration of the civilian life of the residents.

 

3.      Freedom of speech and press will be guaranteed; restricted only by a prohibition of direct or indirect support of terror.

 

These three principles are an essential prerequisite for all economic and other assistance which will be given to the Palestinian Administrative Authority.

E. Dismantling of Refugee Camps

1.      The Coordinating Body immediately upon the establishment of the Administrative Authority will work in close coordination to dismantle all refugee camps under Palestinian control and to build normal existence for those evacuated from the refugee camps.  Arab countries, with the assistance of the United Nations, will finance this effort.

 

2.      In the first stage, the refugee camps in Judea and Samaria will be dismantled, followed by a second stage in which the Gaza Strip refugee camps will be dismantled as well.

F. An International Fund for the Creation of an Economic Infrastructure

 

1.      The Coordinating Body will establish an International Fund for the creation of industrial zones, economic structures, enterprises for building economic infrastructures, companies for research and development, in the areas under the Palestinian Administrative Authority.

2.      The Coordinating Body, together with the Palestinian Administrative Authority, will establish an economic structure for initiating, establishing and administering the economic entities to be established with the assistance of the International Economic Fund.

 

3.      At a later stage, in tandem with the progress of the transition and in coordination with Israel, Palestinian workers will be permitted to work in Israel.

G. Negotiations for Permanent Peace

After three years and with the conclusion of the democratic elections, the State of Israel together with the elected representatives of the Palestinian people will negotiate the terms of a permanent peace.


Why is this the correct approach, in my opinion?

The Oslo agreements were based on the belief that the transfer, of control to Yasser Arafat, of territories in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, along with their inhabitants, would turn Arafat into Israel’s partner in its effort to maintain security and peace in the region. Furthermore, many of the supporters of the Oslo agreement regarded the creation of a dictatorial regime in these territories by Arafat to be an advantage rather than a disadvantage. They assumed that Arafat, free from the constraints imposed by
democracy, would find it far easier to confront the Hamas terrorists, while at the same time concentrating on economic prosperity for his people and thus strengthen the peace process.

The passage of time has proven these assumptions unrealistic. They completely ignored the fundamental difference between the interests of democratic leaders as opposed to those of dictators. In democracies, the leader is dependent on the will of the people. In a dictatorship, the people are dependent on the will of the leader. That is why in a democracy a leader will always strive to bring about economic prosperity and peace for his constituents, and avoid war except as a last resort. In contrast, a dictator, who lives in constant fear of a popular uprising, must always look for other means to maintain full control over the people. Such control is strengthened by seeking out an external enemy, and mobilizing the people to war against this enemy.

That is why, while Israel and other countries in the free world, out of a belief that “a strong leader will bring about a strong peace”, regarded the strengthening of Arafat as a supreme goal, Arafat himself exploited this belief by investing every dollar and shekel he received in encouraging the inflammatory hatred of Israel and in constructing a terrorist infrastructure to be used against Israel. Given a choice between peace and economic prosperity versus tyranny and terror, Arafat always chose the latter option.

The time has come for a new leadership, which in contrast to Arafat is interested in improving the lives of their people, in ways that include building peaceful relations with Israel. At the same time, it is impossible to ignore the fact that after nine years of demonization of Israel and incitement to terror it will be very difficult to find Palestinian leaders who dare to do so openly.

In order to enable such leaders to operate openly and free of fear, a period of transition is absolutely necessary, during which time the foundations of democratic life can be laid in Palestinian society so that the effects of the hateful propaganda and terrorist activities against Israel can be neutralized.  At this stage, a widespread international effort should be made to establish the foundations of a modern economy, infrastructure, and welfare services in the Palestinian society.  Just as Germany and Japan had to undergo a process of political and economic rehabilitation in order to rejoin the international community following World War II,  Palestinian society will need to undergo a similar transition.

Mr. Prime Minister, I suggest that a comprehensive, strategic discussion of this plan be conducted at a meeting of either the full government or of the security cabinet. It is our responsibility, today, to know where we are headed.


Respectfully,


Natan Sharansky
Deputy Prime Minister