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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Netanyahu Firm: Security Precedes Peace

Knight-Ridder

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a no-nonsense debut on his first working visit to the United States, emerging from lunch with President Clinton on Tuesday to declare that the price of Israeli concessions to peace will be high.

Netanyahu, who narrowly defeated Shimon Peres in May, asserted that Israel’s Palestinian partners and Syrian neighbors must do more to halt terrorism. He said Israel will honor its commitments, but carefully.

While Clinton tried to avoid friction and referred diplomatically to a necessary “period of adjustment” in the Middle East peace process, Netanyahu stood beside him and repeated the security-first theme that won him 55 percent of the Jewish vote.

“I think we agree that those who are on the side of peace must show complete dedication to the fight against terrorism,” Netanyahu said in a joint White House news conference. “Anything less will simply not do. Israel is eager to make progress, but we cannot do so alone.”