Attack in Jerusalem – Letter from Israel

Letter dated 4 September 1997 from the Permanent Representative of

Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

Today's triple bombing on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem was not an isolated incident.  It was only the latest in a series of terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli civilians.  Nor was today's bombing the work of a singular individual or a small fringe group.  These repeated attacks have been supported by a broad infrastructure of terrorism located in the territories under the control of the Palestinian Authority.  Indeed, the Hamas organization has taken credit for the attack.

The Palestinian Authority must be held accountable for what has happened in Jerusalem.  It would be one thing if the Palestinian security services were making a supreme effort to prevent these attacks, and they occurred anyway.  But in this case, the Palestinian Authority has consistently failed to fulfil its security obligations.  According to the Oslo II interim agreement between Israel and the PLO, as well as the United States-signed note for the record, the Palestinians have undertaken to fight terrorist organizations and dismantle their infrastructure.

Instead, the infrastructure of Hamas and Islamic Jihad has grown, as the Palestinian Authority has released hundreds of terrorist operatives from its prisons.  Moreover, the Palestinian Authority has held back security cooperation with Israel as a political card in our negotiations.  Finally, the public embrace of Hamas leaders by the PLO chairman, Mr. Yasser Arafat, sends a message to the Palestinian public legitimizing Hamas actions.

The State of Israel views this terror as a threat to international peace and reserves the right to do what is necessary to provide for the defence of the Israeli people.  Peace and terrorism are simply incompatible.  Israel expects the international community to send a clear message to the Palestinian Authority to live up to its commitments to fight terrorism.  There can be no progress in the peace process without the eradication of the terrorist infrastructure and close cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel in security matters.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the General Assembly under item 154 of the provisional agenda, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Dore GOLD       

Ambassador      

Permanent Representative

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* A/52/150 and Corr.1.

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