CNN - Clinton pledges $100 million

Clinton pledges $100 million
anti-terrorism package to Israel
March 14, 1996
Web posted at: 12:30 p.m. EST (1730 GMT)
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- President Bill Clinton pledged a $100 million anti-terrorism package to Israel on Thursday, saying the aid will help "reduce the risks" of terrorism in the Middle East.

The aid is part of a formal bilateral agreement between the United States and Israel to combat terrorism, Clinton said. The plan is aimed at stopping bombings such as the recent ones by Islamic militants that have killed 62 people and have threatened to destroy the peace process.

Clinton met with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres on Thursday and said in a press conference afterward that he and Peres mutually agreed on the package.

"I am taking this step because I am determined that we must have every tool at our disposal to fight against the extremist violence," Clinton said.

The president said he sent an "urgent" request to Congress Wednesday night seeking the first $50 million of the anti-terrorism money. The second request would come next year, presidential aides said.

"In my eyes, President Clinton is the first world leader that put on the agenda peace in our time as the major goal," Peres said.

Visit to Rabin's grave

When the press conference was over, the president visited the grave of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated on November 4.

Clinton escorted Rabin's widow, Leah Rabin, to the grave. Mrs. Rabin gripped the president's right hand as the two stood before her husband's grave sharing a moment of silence. Rabin's children and grandchildren were present, as was Peres. (667K QuickTime movie)

Clinton gently laid a wreath and, following a Jewish tradition, put a handful of stones at the grave. The stones came from the White House South Lawn, where Rabin once shook hands with Palestine Authority President Yasser Arafat to seal a historic Middle East peace pact.

Clinton, escorted by Peres and Jerusalem's mayor, also stopped at Beit Hinuch, a Jerusalem high school that lost four of its graduates in a late February suicide bombing. (321K QuickTime movie)

"We don't want these children to grow up in terror," Clinton said at the school. "We want them to grow up in a land that is both free and safe."

Later, in an address from Tel Aviv to the people of Israel, Clinton said, "Fear must be conquered, security must be restored and peace must be pursued."

Anti-terrorism package specifics

Clinton's $100 million proposal is in addition to aid already shipped to Israel. Last week, the United States sent about $22 million of anti-terrorism aid, including advanced bomb-detection devices.

Thursday's pledge will pay for a host of anti-terrorism initiatives, including training, bomb-detection scanners, X-ray systems and robotics for handling suspect packages.

Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Lt. Gen. Daniel Christman and CIA director John Deutch joined Clinton in Israel to work on the security package. Christman has been assessing Israel's security needs for several months.

U.S. officials hope to conclude the accord in time for Peres' visit to the United States on April 19.

The announcement of the aid package follows an unprecedented Middle East peace summit in Egypt Wednesday that brought 27 world leaders together.

Referring to the importance of the summit, Clinton said, "The sources that support peace and security are stronger than those that seek destruction."

But when asked if world leaders can stop suicide bombers, Clinton responded, "No one can do that."

The president, however, added, "The question is, 'Can we improve the capacity of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to prevent these things from happening?' The answer is, 'Yes.'"

In related news, the Israeli Army demolished the two-story home of Yehiya Ayyash, a Palestinian bomb mastermind who was killed in January when a booby-trapped cellular telephone exploded. The home was where Ayyash's widow, two children, parents and two brothers lived.

Militants in the Islamic group Hamas have said that at least some of the recent suicide bombings were to avenge Ayyash's death.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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