Summary
Assistant Secretary of State whose testimony of June 12, 1978, before the House Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East Said calls the clearest statement of current U.S. policy, organized around peace and moderation.
Details
- Saunders listed the basic catalogue of U.S. interests as including a wish to prevent conflict, an irrevocable commitment to the security, strength and well-being of Israel, a recognition of the importance of the Arab world, in particular the strength and moderation of the major Arab countries, and a moral and humane commitment to the people of the Middle East (The Question of Palestine, PDF p.209 / printed p.188).
- His four premises, as quoted by Said: all U.S. interests must be pursued at the same time; the past four years show they are best pursued where there is progress toward a peaceful settlement; there has been a significant shift toward the West, with the end of USSR ascendancy and moderate Arab leaders turning to the U.S.; and a definition of U.S. interests must take serious account of the new dimensions of U.S. economic relations with the area (The Question of Palestine, PDF p.209-210 / printed p.188-189).
- On one point Saunders was, or at least seemed to be, categorical: in the U.S. view the future of the West Bank and Gaza lies in close association with Jordan, and an independent Palestinian state in this truncated territory would not be a realistic or durable solution (The Question of Palestine, PDF p.210 / printed p.189).
- Said reads the whole testimony as organized around peace and moderation, a phrase designed to put outside the pale radicalism, nationalism and popular opposition to the status quo (The Question of Palestine, PDF p.210 / printed p.189).
Related pages
The Question of Palestine, Camp David Accords, Self-determination