[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: It should be noted that all of the Israeli
government activities cited by the Quartet are PERMITTED by the agreements
Israel signed with the PLO. That's the WRITTEN WORD - not some "spirit of
Oslo".

In sharp contrast, everything cited by the Quartet regarding the
Palestinians is activity in GROSS VIOLATION OF THE WRITTEN WORD of the
agreements.

The Quartet doesn't even call for the arrest, prosecution and punishment of
the Palestinian terrorists.

It's expression of concern for the illicit arms buildup is empty words - no
serious thought about how this should be achieved - only to be followed in
the next sentence with a call for Israel to ease restrictions on materials
going into the Gaza Strip.]
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Prime Minister's Office Response to the Quartet Report
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

In the 24 hours before the publication of the Quartet report, Palestinian
terrorists stabbed and shot innocent Israelis three times, leaving two dead
and others wounded. Today a young father was killed and his wife and
children injured when their car was riddled with gunfire. Yesterday a 13
year-old Israeli girl was stabbed to death while she slept in her bed. Not
only did the Palestinian Authority fail to condemn this gruesome murder, it
referred to the murderer as a “martyr” in official media.

Palestinian praise for murderers today inspires those who will strike
tomorrow. This response reflects the moral bankruptcy of the Palestinian
leadership and leaves little doubt about its true intentions.

Israel therefore welcomes the Quartet’s recognition of the centrality of
Palestinian incitement and violence to the perpetuation of the conflict.
This culture of hatred poisons minds and destroys lives and stands as the
single greatest obstacle to progress towards peace.

The report unfortunately says nothing about the payments made by the
Palestinian leadership to terrorists and their families. The graver the
violence, the greater the payment. This Palestinian practice must stop.

Israel shares the Quartet’s historical commitment to advancing
Israeli-Palestinian peace through direct, bilateral negotiations without
preconditions.

In previous agreements, Israel and the Palestinians committed to discuss
every difficult issue exclusively through direct, bilateral negotiations.
Nevertheless, the record shows a history of repeated Palestinian rejection
of offers to negotiate and compromise from Israeli governments across the
political spectrum. Israel cannot negotiate peace with itself.

Israel also notes the Quartet’s concern about the military buildup in Gaza
and the threat posed by Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization, to both
Israeli and Palestinian lives.

We regret the failure of the Quartet to address the real core of the
conflict: the persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as the
nation-state of the Jewish people in any boundaries.

The report also perpetuates the myth that Israeli construction in the West
Bank is an obstacle to peace. When Israel froze settlements, it did not get
peace. When Israel uprooted every settlement in Gaza, it did not get peace.
It got war.

It is troubling that the Quartet appears to have adopted the position that
the presence of Jews living in the West Bank somehow prevents reaching a
two-state solution. The presence of nearly 1.8 million Arabs in Israel isn’t
a barrier to peace; it is a testament to our pluralism and commitment to
equality.

Israel rejects any attempt to draw moral equivalence between construction
and terrorism. So too do we reject the parallels suggested between the
campaign of Palestinian terrorism and the violence of marginal elements in
Israeli society. The former is lauded by the Palestinian leadership. The
latter is utterly condemned and rejected by Israelis across the board.

Israel will continue to strive for a genuine, negotiated peace based on
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s vision of two states for two peoples. While the
report includes numerous factual and policy assertions with which we take
issue, Israel will discuss with the Quartet envoys ways to explore moving
toward this end.