“8 Points for Peace” JEWISH RIGHT to the Land of Israel is basic and inseparable from our right to security, without which there can be no prospect of peace. The choice does not lie between maintaining our right to the Land of Israel and obtaining peace for a Jewish State in some part of … Continued
Begin claims that the war in Lebanon was a war of self-defense, an attempt to protect the north from a real threat. Begin criticizes the opposition for trying to create the impression that there was aggression when going to war. Begin opposes the establishment of another commission of inquiry and claims that the government has adopted the conclusions of the Kahan Commission.
Begin addressed his upcoming trip to Cairo in a speech given shortly after the peace treaty with Egypt was signed. “It is not time to rest on our laurels,” he said, calling for Palestinian Arab autonomy as well as ensuring Israel’s security from all sides. He then called for a campaign in the United States to ensure Israel’s security, as well as for Jewish communities in the United States to stand by Israel. Later, Begin discussed Israel’s poverty problem, referred to the Bonds’ role in helping Israel’s economy, and urged the audience to donate to Project Renewal.
Begin addressed the halting of settlement construction for the duration of the Palestinian negotiations in an interview shortly after the Camp David Accords were signed, noting a difference of opinion with the US government on the matter. Begin outlined the autonomy plan’s fundamental elements and defended the morality of Judea and Samaria’s settlements, expressing a wish to end military authority in the region. Later, Begin considered the prospect of negotiating a peace treaty with Jordan and other Arab countries, saying that Egyptian-Israeli relations and the Palestinian Arabs’ solution are not interwoven.
Subsequently, Begin emphasized his desire to follow in the footsteps of Camp David and use the US government’s aid in drafting a peace pact. He proposed providing facilities for the US navy in the Mediterranean and establishing US bases in Sinai, but denied the conception of stationing US soldiers in Judea and Samaria so that Israel could defend itself independently against its surrounding enemies. However, he noted that Israel sought military assistance from the US in order to do so, acknowledging Israel’s contribution to US national security. Begin went on to discuss his Camp David experiences, his impressions of Carter as a negotiator, and the sticking points in the negotiations over the legal status of Jerusalem.
Begin discussed the obstacles in the peace process, as well as the autonomy proposal, at a press conference at Blair House, Washington. He then spoke about the security situation in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip, citing the Coastal Road massacre two weeks prior to the briefing and the Yom Kippur War as examples. He later addressed the Operation Litani’s casualties in Lebanon, the implementation of Resolution 242, and his resignation from the cabinet in 1970.
