The settlements are not an obstacle to peace. They are part of our peace plan. I’ll say so at Camp David. On this, I may say, we really differ with the American Government. The concept of our peace plan is to live together with the Arabs.
Should Egypt be prepared to sign a peace treaty on the understanding that it is to be followed by peace treaties with the rest of our neighbours, we would be prepared to do so.
In our peace proposal we suggested that a second, narrow United Nations zone be created in the northern Sinai around the district of Yamit—a new town founded several years ago in the desert by the sea-shore. May I point out that the two proposed UN zones—conceived as vital to our national security—make up hardly move … Continued
In the peace proposal we have presented we gave up this past claim to territorial control. For the sake of an agreement and the peace, we now suggest that the narrow strip between our southern port, Eilat, and Sharm-el-Sheikh, become a United Nations zone. This is a far-reaching compromise proposal. And I emphasise, again, that … Continued
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.
