ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 15, 1996 TAG: 9603150073
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: JERUSALEM
SOURCE: Associated Press
President Clinton pledged $100 million to Israel Thursday for the fight against terrorism. He acknowledged that no one - not presidents, princes or prime ministers - can guarantee ``a risk-free world.''
In an emotional trip including meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and a visit to the grave of Peres' slain predecessor, Yitzhak Rabin, Clinton imagined aloud how Americans would react to the terrorism Israel confronts.
``Our people would be off the wall. They would be angry. They would be furious. They would want action,'' he said.
He pledged the $100 million over two years for anti-terrorism initiatives including training, bomb-detection scanners, X-ray systems and robotics for handling suspect packages.
Israeli officials said they envisioned using much of the U.S. aid to help establish a separation zone with the West Bank to try to prevent terrorist infiltration. Such a zone, which would include electronic fences, guard towers and bomb-sniffing dogs, was first proposed by Rabin and was approved by the Israeli Cabinet March 3.
In Washington, however, a State Department official said, ``The United States does not intend for any of its aid to be used in any kind of permanent separation zone.''
Clinton intends to use $50 million already approved by Congress and is asking for another $50 million for the fiscal year that begins in October.
``Fear must be conquered, security must be restored and peace must be pursued,'' Clinton said.
Shlomo Dror, spokesman for the Israeli army liaison with the Palestinians, said the U.S. was being asked to provide training for bomb-sniffing dog units and for electronic equipment for the separation line. Israel also needs helicopters and all-terrain vehicles to help patrol the zone, he said.
Palestinian leaders have denounced the proposal.
Clinton left Israel Thursday evening, leaving a team of U.S. officials including CIA Director John Deutch and Secretary of State Warren Christopher to work on an anti-terrorism accord. The aim is to complete an agreement before Peres visits Washington late next month.
At a news conference with Clinton, Peres promised that the peace process would continue, although he said the terrorist attacks on Israel made it more complicated. ``It's not black and white. It's like climbing a mountain. It is difficult, it takes time. You don't reach the peak in one jump,'' he said.
Clinton's visit came a day after a summit in which Israelis, Arabs and other world leaders joined in an unprecedented stand against terrorism.
Clinton said, ``Can we create a risk-free world here in Israel? No. Can we reduce the risks and do much better? Yes.''
He brought a stone from the White House lawn, where Rabin had sealed with a handshake a landmark peace agreement with Yasser Arafat, now head of the Palestinian Authority.
Wearing a black skullcap, Clinton placed the stone on the slain prime minister's tombstone at Mt. Herzl Cemetery, in accordance with Jewish tradition. Rabin's widow, Leah, looked on, and afterward joined hands with Clinton.
Clinton stopped, as well, at Beit Hinuch, a Jerusalem high school that lost three graduates in the four suicide bombings that have rocked Israel since Feb. 25. Outside, he told reporters: ``If you want to be free and safe, you have to stand against terror. It doesn't matter whether you're Israelis or Palestinians.''
By all appearances, Clinton's message was well-received by a country whose confidence in U.S.-backed land-for-peace deals with the Arabs was shaken by the bombings. All open societies are vulnerable to violence, he said.
In Tel Aviv, he said terrorism had its roots in ``the grip of that ancient fear that life can only be lived if you're looking down on someone else.''
``We know your pain is unimaginable, and in some extent unsharable, but America grieves with you,'' he said.
Rabin was killed Nov. 4 by a Jewish militant opposed to relinquishing Gaza and most of the West Bank to the Palestinians.
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. President Clinton laughs as Israeli Prime Ministerby CNBShimon Peres addresses a Jerusalem high school class Thursday.
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