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Remarks Following Discussions With President Ezer Weizman of Israel and an Exchange With Reporters in Jerusalem, Israel

March 13, 1996

The President. Let me say that it is a great honor to be back at the President's house and with the President again. And along with the Prime Minister, we were able to give a report on our impressions of what happened at Sharm al-Sheikh today and what the significance of it was, and then we talked a little bit about the challenges ahead. We spent about an hour in a very good discussion, and as always when I'm with the President, I learned a lot and I leave with a lot of food for thought.

But I feel much better about our prospects for presenting a united front against terror and for security and therefore creating and maintaining conditions under which the peace process can proceed than I did before I went to Sharm al-Sheikh today. And I thank the Prime Minister for his work, and I say again, I came here more than anything else just to once again express the solidarity of the United States with Israel, grief at your loss, and our determination to do what we can both to restore your security and to preserve the march of peace.

Israel's Capital

Q. President Clinton, do you have any reflections on President Weizman not going to the airport, obviously intending thereby to demonstrate Israel's historic commitment to Jerusalem being its capital, a position that you endorsed yourself during your campaign but we haven't heard much from you on since? Do you have any feeling about that situation you'd like to share with us?

The President. No. My feeling is what it has been ever since the first agreement was reached in which Israel and the Palestinian Authority agreed that that would be part of the final negotiations. And the United States agreed that we would support the process that Israel had fashioned, and that's what I intend to continue to do. I haven't changed my position on anything. I just—I believe that we are a partner in a process that primarily affects the Israelis and the neighbors of Israel, and we ought to support the process that the parties agreed to for resolving all those matters.

NOTE: The President spoke at 10:20 p.m. at President Weizman's residence. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.

William J. Clinton, Remarks Following Discussions With President Ezer Weizman of Israel and an Exchange With Reporters in Jerusalem, Israel Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/222540

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