Pres. Reagan: No Palestinian State, No return to '67 borders, Undivided
Jerusalem
www.reagan.utexas.edu/resource/speeches/1982/90182d.htm
Address to the Nation on United States Policy for Peace in the Middle East
September 1, 1982

My fellow Americans:

Today has been a day that should make us proud. It marked the end of the
successful evacuation of PLO from Beirut, Lebanon. This peaceful step could
never have been taken without the good offices of the United States and
especially the truly heroic work of a great American diplomat, Ambassador
Philip Habib.
....
When our administration assumed office in January of 1981, I decided that
the general framework for our Middle East policy should follow the broad
guidelines laid down by my predecessors.
....
The time has come for a new realism on the part of all the peoples of the
Middle East. The State of Israel is an accomplished fact; it deserves
unchallenged legitimacy within the community of nations. But Israel's
legitimacy has thus far been recognized by too few countries and has been
denied by every Arab State except Egypt. Israel exists; it has a right to
exist in peace behind secure and defensible borders; and it has a right to
demand of its neighbors that they recognize those facts.

I have personally followed and supported Israel's heroic struggle for
survival, ever since the founding of the State of Israel 34 years ago. In
the pre-1967 borders Israel was barely 10 miles wide at its narrowest point.
The bulk of Israel's population lived within artillery range of hostile Arab
armies. I am not about to ask Israel to live that way again.
....
Beyond the transition period, as we look to the future of the West Bank and
Gaza, it is clear to me that peace cannot be achieved by the formation of an
independent Palestinian state in those territories, nor is it achievable on

the basis of Israeli sovereignty or permanent control over the West Bank and
Gaza. So, the United States will not support the establishment of an
independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, and we will not
support annexation or permanent control by Israel.
...
Finally, we remain convinced that Jerusalem must remain undivided, but its
final status should be decided through negotiation.
...
Tonight, on the eve of what can be a dawning of new hope for the people of
the troubled Middle East -- and for all the world's people who dream of a
just and peaceful future -- I ask you, my fellow Americans, for your support
and your prayers in this great undertaking.

Thank you, and God bless you.
Note: The President spoke at 6 p.m. from the studios of KNBC - TV in
Burbank, Calif. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and
television.