Bill Clinton: “Binyamin Netanyahu of Israel February 13, 1997 President Clinton. Good afternoon. Please be seated. I'm pleased to…”

“Binyamin Netanyahu of Israel February 13, 1997 President Clinton. Good afternoon. Please be seated. I'm pleased to welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu back to the White House for his fourth visit since taking office. He comes at a time of great sadness in Israel, following the terrible helicopter accident of 9 days ago. We know that in Israel every death is in the family. And on behalf of the American people, Mr. Prime Minister, once again I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of the victims and to all the people of Israel. Since our meeting in October, we have traveled a very long way. Then we met in a time of crisis; now there is a renewed sense of promise in the Middle East. I want to congratulate the Prime Minister for concluding the Hebron agreement last month with Chairman Arafat. They have reached a milestone on the way to a secure and lasting peace. The agreement solved the immediate issue of redeployment and laid out a roadmap for the next steps that must be taken to fulfill existing agreements and to move ahead to the pivotal questions of the future. Beyond the specific commitments made, the Hebron accord is important because it renewed the partnership between Israelis and Palestinians, a partnership that is essential to the success of the peace process. The United States is proud to have helped in this effort.…”