Arik: The Life of Ariel Sharon

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Arik: The Life of Ariel Sharon Page 75

by David Landau


  Finally, I readily and gratefully acknowledge my debt to my friends Orith Shochat, Motti Friedman, Chemi Shalev, Charlotte Halle, Peter Hirschberg, and Jonathan Cummings for their patience, their wisdom, and their encouragement throughout this endeavor.

  INTERVIEWS

  Many people kindly agreed to be interviewed for this book. I have added to their names a brief, noncomprehensive, identifying note. Not everything they said was on the record. Several other people spoke entirely off the record. I am very grateful to all of them for their time and their help.

  Aharon Abramowitz, director general, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

  Reuven Adler, advertising executive, friend and adviser to Sharon

  Ofir Akunis, Knesset member

  Gideon Altschuler, IDF colonel

  Moshe Arens, ambassador to the United States, defense minister

  Uri Avneri, journalist, Knesset member

  Danny Ayalon, ambassador to the United States, deputy foreign minister

  Clinton Bailey, writer and researcher on the Bedouin

  Ehud Barak, IDF chief of staff, prime minister, defense minister

  Mitchell Barak, pollster

  Yonatan Bassi, kibbutznik, head of Gaza Settlers’ Evacuation Authority

  Yossi Beilin, justice minister, negotiator

  Avi Benayahu, IDF spokesman

  Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, defense minister

  Meir Ben-Meir, water commissioner

  Yehuda Ben-Meir, deputy foreign minister

  Eytan Bentsur, director general of the Foreign Ministry

  William A. Brown, U.S. diplomat, ambassador to Israel

  Odelia Carmon, spokesperson for Sharon, Netanyahu

  Ilan Cohen, director general of the Prime Minister’s Office

  Ran Cohen, industry and trade minister

  Marit Danon, secretary to prime ministers

  Sergio DellaPergola, professor, demographer

  Rachel Dolev, IDF chief censor, aide to Sharon as CO of Southern Command

  Dahlia Eliashiv, school classmate of Sharon

  Jackie Even, IDF general

  Avi Gil, director general of the Foreign Ministry

  Eival Gilady, IDF planner

  Ra’anan Gissin, spokesman for Sharon

  Dore Gold, ambassador to the UN

  Eitan Haber, journalist, aide to Yitzhak Rabin

  Dudu Halevy, Time magazine Israel correspondent

  Efraim Halevy, head of Mossad, national security adviser to Sharon

  Moshe Kaplinsky, IDF general, military aide to Sharon

  Yisrael Katz, transport minister

  Yaakov Kedmi, diplomat to U.S.S.R., later to Russia

  David Kimche, deputy head of Mossad, director general of the Foreign Ministry

  Menachem Klein, professor, expert on Jerusalem

  Alice Krieger, aide to Sharon as minister of agriculture

  Dan Kurtzer, U.S. diplomat, ambassador to Israel

  Eli Landau, aide to Sharon, mayor of Herzliya

  Asher Levy, Sharon’s commander in 1948, IDF general

  Meirav Levy, aide to Sharon

  Samuel Winfield Lewis, U.S. diplomat, ambassador to Israel

  Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, IDF chief of staff, negotiator, tourism minister

  Tzipi Livni, foreign minister, leader of Kadima Party

  Yisrael Maimon, cabinet secretary

  Amram Mitzna, IDF general, Labor Party chairman

  Michal Modai, president, Women’s International Zionist Organization

  Shaul Mofaz, IDF chief of staff, negotiator, defense minister

  Mibi Mozer, media and libel lawyer

  Yitzhak Navon, aide to Ben-Gurion, education minister, president

  Ya’akov Ne’eman, finance minister, justice minister

  Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister

  Moshe Nissim, finance minister, justice minister

  Nimrod Novik, aide to Shimon Peres, analyst

  Amir Oren, journalist

  Zevulun Orlev, welfare minister

  Tomer Orni, aide to Sharon as minister of infrastructures and foreign minister

  Shimon Peres, defense minister, prime minister, president

  Arnon Perlman, aide and spokesman to Sharon

  Alon Pinkas, consul general in New York

  Dalia Rabin, deputy minister of defense

  Haim Ramon, health minister, justice minister

  Amnon Reshef, IDF general

  Reuven Rivlin, communications minister, Knesset Speaker

  Gideon Sa’ar, cabinet secretary, education minister

  Yehoshua Saguy, IDF general, head of Military Intelligence

  Yossi Sarid, education minister

  Shaya Segal, political adviser to Sharon, Netanyahu

  Silvan Shalom, finance minister, foreign minister

  Uri Shani, bureau chief for Sharon

  Natan Sharansky, interior minister, housing minister

  Asi Shariv, spokesman for Sharon, consul general in New York

  Omri Sharon, Knesset member

  Gilead Sher, negotiator

  Lior Shilat, aide to Sharon

  Azmi Shuaibi, Palestinian legislator, minister

  Uri Simchoni, IDF general

  Yuval Steinitz, finance minister

  Avraham Tamir, IDF general

  Dov Tamari, IDF general

  Dov Weissglas, lawyer and bureau chief for Sharon

  Moshe Ya’alon, IDF chief of staff

  Avigdor Yitzhaki, director general of the Prime Minister’s Office

  Aharon Zeevi-Farkas, IDF general, head of Military Intelligence

  Mordechai Zippori, IDF brigadier general, communications minister

  I wish I could include Ariel Sharon in this list of interviewees. I wish I’d had the journalistic good sense to spend more time talking to him during his wilderness years. But like so many Israelis, I wrote him off as yesterday’s man. I did have a number of conversations with him during his term as prime minister, in my capacity as a newspaper editor. I told him I’d been commissioned to write a book about him, that I’d set it aside for the duration of his prime ministership and of my editorship, and that I’d get back to it, Deo volente. He responded, as always, with courteous interest.

  Omri, his son, gave me several lengthy interviews for this book. He was constantly suspicious, usually reticent, but ultimately helpful, and I am grateful.

  APPENDIX

  I

  UN Security Council Resolution 242

  November 22, 1967

  The Security Council,

  Expressing its continuing concern with the grave situation in the Middle East,

  Emphasizing the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war and the need to work for a just and lasting peace in which every State in the area can live in security,

  Emphasizing further that all Member States in their acceptance of the Charter of the United Nations have undertaken a commitment to act in accordance with Article 2 of the Charter,

  1. Affirms that the fulfillment of Charter principles requires the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which should include the application of both the following principles:

  (i) Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;

  (ii) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force;

  2. Affirms further the necessity

  (i) For guaranteeing freedom of navigation through international waterways in the area;

  (ii) For achieving a just settlement of the refugee problem;

  (iii) For guaranteeing the territorial inviolability and political independence of every State in the area, through measures including the establishment of demilitarized zones;

  3. Requests the Secretary-General to desig
nate a Special Representative to proceed to the Middle East to establish and maintain contacts with the States concerned in order to promote agreement and assist efforts to achieve a peaceful and accepted settlement in accordance with the provisions and principles in this resolution;

  4. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council on the progress of the efforts of the Special Representative as soon as possible.

  II

  UN Security Council Resolution 338

  October 22, 1973

  The Security Council,

  1. Calls upon all parties to the present fighting to cease all firing and terminate all military activity immediately, no later than 12 hours after the moment of the adoption of this decision, in the positions they now occupy;

  2. Calls upon all parties concerned to start immediately after the cease-fire the implementation of Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) in all of its parts;

  3. Decides that, immediately and concurrently with the cease-fire, negotiations start between the parties concerned under appropriate auspices aimed at establishing a just and durable peace in the Middle East.

  III

  Camp David Accords

  September 17, 1978

  The Framework for Peace in the Middle East (Excerpts)

  Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, met with Jimmy Carter, President of the United States of America, at Camp David from September 5 to September 17, 1978, and have agreed on the following framework for peace in the Middle East. They invite other parties to the Arab-Israel conflict to adhere to it.

  Preamble

  The search for peace in the Middle East must be guided by the following:

  • The agreed basis for a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Israel and its neighbors is United Nations Security Council Resolution 242, in all its parts … The historic initiative of President Sadat in visiting Jerusalem and the reception accorded to him by the parliament, government and people of Israel, and the reciprocal visit of Prime Minister Begin to Ismailia, the peace proposals made by both leaders, as well as the warm reception of these missions by the peoples of both countries, have created an unprecedented opportunity for peace which must not be lost if this generation and future generations are to be spared the tragedies of war…

  • Peace requires respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force…

  • Security is enhanced by a relationship of peace and by cooperation between nations which enjoy normal relations. In addition, under the terms of peace treaties, the parties can, on the basis of reciprocity, agree to special security arrangements such as demilitarized zones, limited armaments areas, early warning stations, the presence of international forces, liaison, agreed measures for monitoring and other arrangements that they agree are useful.

  Framework

  Taking these factors into account, the parties are determined to reach a just, comprehensive, and durable settlement of the Middle East conflict through the conclusion of peace treaties based on Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 in all their parts. Their purpose is to achieve peace and good neighborly relations. They recognize that for peace to endure, it must involve all those who have been most deeply affected by the conflict. They therefore agree that this framework, as appropriate, is intended by them to constitute a basis for peace not only between Egypt and Israel, but also between Israel and each of its other neighbors which is prepared to negotiate peace with Israel on this basis. With that objective in mind, they have agreed to proceed as follows:

  A. West Bank and Gaza

  1. Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the representatives of the Palestinian people should participate in negotiations on the resolution of the Palestinian problem in all its aspects. To achieve that objective, negotiations relating to the West Bank and Gaza should proceed in three stages:

  a. Egypt and Israel agree that, in order to ensure a peaceful and orderly transfer of authority, and taking into account the security concerns of all the parties, there should be transitional arrangements for the West Bank and Gaza for a period not exceeding five years. In order to provide full autonomy to the inhabitants, under these arrangements the Israeli military government and its civilian administration will be withdrawn as soon as a self-governing authority has been freely elected by the inhabitants of these areas to replace the existing military government. To negotiate the details of a transitional arrangement, Jordan will be invited to join the negotiations on the basis of this framework. These new arrangements should give due consideration both to the principle of self-government by the inhabitants of these territories and to the legitimate security concerns of the parties involved.

  b. Egypt, Israel, and Jordan will agree on the modalities for establishing an elected self-governing authority in the West Bank and Gaza. The delegations of Egypt and Jordan may include Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza or other Palestinians as mutually agreed. The parties will negotiate an agreement which will define the powers and responsibilities of the self-governing authority to be exercised in the West Bank and Gaza. A withdrawal of Israeli armed forces will take place and there will be a redeployment of the remaining Israeli forces into specified security locations. The agreement will also include arrangements for assuring internal and external security and public order. A strong local police force will be established, which may include Jordanian citizens. In addition, Israeli and Jordanian forces will participate in joint patrols and in the manning of control posts to assure the security of the borders.

  c. When the self-governing authority (administrative council) in the West Bank and Gaza is established and inaugurated, the transitional period of five years will begin. As soon as possible, but not later than the third year after the beginning of the transitional period, negotiations will take place to determine the final status of the West Bank and Gaza and its relationship with its neighbors and to conclude a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan by the end of the transitional period. These negotiations will be conducted among Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the elected representatives of the inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza … The negotiations shall be based on all the provisions and principles of UN Security Council Resolution 242. The negotiations will resolve, among other matters, the location of the boundaries and the nature of the security arrangements. The solution from the negotiations must also recognize the legitimate right of the Palestinian peoples and their just requirements…

  B. Framework for the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty Between Egypt and Israel (Excerpts)

  In order to achieve peace between them, Israel and Egypt agree to negotiate in good faith with a goal of concluding within three months of the signing of this framework a peace treaty between them…[The] terms of the peace treaty will be implemented between two and three years after the peace treaty is signed.

  The following matters are agreed between the parties:

  1. the full exercise of Egyptian sovereignty up to the internationally recognized border between Egypt and mandated Palestine;

  2. the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the Sinai;

  3. the use of airfields left by the Israelis … for civilian purposes only…

  4. the right of free passage by ships of Israel through the Gulf of Suez and the Suez Canal on the basis of the Constantinople Convention of 1888 applying to all nations; the Strait of Tiran and Gulf of Aqaba are international waterways to be open to all nations for unimpeded and nonsuspendable freedom of navigation and overflight;

  5. the construction of a highway between the Sinai and Jordan near Eilat with guaranteed free and peaceful passage by Egypt and Jordan;

  6. the stationing of military forces listed below.

  Stationing of Forces

  • No more than one division (mechanized or infantry) of Egyptian armed forces will be stationed wit
hin an area lying approximately 50 km. (30 miles) east of the Gulf of Suez and the Suez Canal.

  • Only United Nations forces and civil police equipped with light weapons to perform normal police functions will be stationed within an area lying west of the international border and the Gulf of Aqaba, varying in width from 20 km. (12 miles) to 40 km. (24 miles).

  • In the area within 3 km. (1.8 miles) east of the international border there will be Israeli limited military forces not to exceed four infantry battalions and United Nations observers…

  • Early warning stations may exist to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement.

  • After a peace treaty is signed, and after the interim withdrawal is complete, normal relations will be established between Egypt and Israel, including full recognition, including diplomatic, economic and cultural relations; termination of economic boycotts and barriers to the free movement of goods and people; and mutual protection of citizens by the due process of law.

  Interim Withdrawal

  • Between three months and nine months after the signing of the peace treaty, all Israeli forces will withdraw east of a line extending from a point east of El-Arish to Ras Muhammad…

  For the Government of

  the Arab Republic of Egypt:

  Muhammed Anwar al-Sadat

  For the Government of Israel:

  Menachem Begin

  Witnessed by:

  Jimmy Carter,

  President of the United States of America

  IV

  The Oslo Accords

  September 1993

  Israel-PLO Recognition:

  Exchange of Letters Between PM Rabin and Chairman Arafat

  Letter from Yasser Arafat to Prime Minister Rabin

 

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