Jerusalem - May 15, 1996

Distinguished Nuncio,
2028250

Do please forgive the delay in responding to your note of March 20. Living among us as you do, and being as experienced as you are, you will surely have noticed that these are days of such stress and hard toil for Israel's leaders, who live under the shadow of an insatiable violence which takes its toil incessantly, while seeking to continue their work for peace.

The above applies most acutely to Prime Minister Peres, for obvious reasons, which is why he has asked me to solicit your good offices for conveying to the dignitaries concerned the following remarks in response to the letter (addressed incompletely, by the way) and the Memorandum you forwarded to us from Patriarch Michel Sabbah and his colleagues.

I have no doubt that the we all want the same thing, namely, peace and normalcy, which -- axiomatically -- cannot coexlst with violence. Patriarch Michel Sabbah and his colleagues, I feel sure, understand this as clearly as anyone else, all the more so as Pope John Paul II has taught the world that violence is the antithesis of truth, and truth is the foundation stone of civilized existence. The European Convention on Human Rights, with which you are of course familiar, likewise recognizes and accepts that normal activities, even religious services and assemblies, may have to take second place after public order and safety especially if human life is at stake. Thls would seem particularly so when indiscriminate mass murder, puportedly in the name of God, has become fashionable. You and Patriarch Michel Sabbah and his colleaques in the worship of God have witnessed the horror of the bloodshed, perpetrated supposedly in the service of Allah, which we have experienced recently in our cities, and wh1ch we cannot afford to experience again.

Winding down the emergeney measures, obviously, is no less our objective than that of anyone else. The very reason and logic of emergency measures in a democracy is the desire to restore normal conditions. Some relaxation has been occurring practically every day, however slowly, but unfortunately warnings of fresh terrorist crimes reach us all the time. Indeed, new blood was shed just this week in yet another attack, this time north of Jerusalem, while only a few days ago our security services successfully uncovered and dismantled a most dangerous and experienced terror apparatus lurking in Jerusalem itself.

The above notwithstanding I am instructing the officials concerned to look very closely into every point in the Memorandum attached to Patriarch Sabbah's letter, to see what may be done without delay about justified grievances and unjustified difficulties.

With personal regards and warm thanks for your comments and friendly advice.

Yours Sincerely
Ehud Barak

To
H.E. Archbishop Andrea di Montezemolo Apostolic Nunzio
Jerusalem