##### updated format CLINTON/GORE ON ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST The end of the Cold War does not mean the end of U.S. responsibility abroad, especially in the Middle East. The people of the region are still denied peace and democracy. America's friend Israel is still threatened by her neighbors. The United States has vital interests in the Middle East. That is why Governor Clinton and Senator Gore supported President Bush's efforts to throw Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. We must remain engaged in the region and continue to promote spread of democracy, human rights and free markets. Among all the countries in the Middle East, only Israel has experienced the peaceful transfer of power by ballot -- not by bullet. A Clinton/Gore Administration will never let Israel down. The Clinton/Gore Plan Loan Guarantees Bill Clinton will ensure Israel's longstanding request for our assistance in its effort to cope with the massive influx of Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union. He will not hold hostage to political struggle hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children whose freedom we've demanded for decades. Peace Process The United States will work with the new Israeli government to move the peace process forward. In doing so the United States cannot predetermine the outcome of the negotiations or impose peace on any party. * We can and should serve as an honest broker and, on occasion, as a catalyst. No side should be expected to make unilateral concessions. * Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel and must remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths. * Peace that does not provide for Israel's security will not be secure and lasting. Palestinian State The Palestinians have the right -- as specified in the Camp David Accords -- to participate in the determination of their future. But they do not have the right to determine Israel's future. For that reason, Bill Clinton opposes the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Democracy Our foreign policy must promote democracy as well as stability. We cannot, as this Administration has done, ignore the link between the two. * We should promote democracy in the Middle East and throughout the world. The Bush Administration lost an opportunity to promote democracy in Kuwait. * A Clinton Administration will never forge strategic relationships with dangerous, despotic regimes. The Bush Administration failed to learn from its appeasement of Saddam Hussein when it shared intelligence with him, awarded him credits, and opposed sanctions on the eve of his invasion of Kuwait. Today the Bush Administration repeats that mistake as it casts a blind eye on Syria's human rights abuses and on its support for terrorism. A strategic relationship The United States has a fundamental interest not only in the security of Israel but also in our two nations strategic cooperation in the region. * Unlike the current Administration, the Clinton Administration will fulfill American commitments on the pre-positioning of military stocks in Israel, and will enhance logistics cooperation to support American forces in the region. * Bill Clinton understands and firmly supports Israel's need to maintain a qualitative military edge over any potential combination of Arab adversaries. Clinton remembers the contributions Israel made during the Gulf War -- especially the forbearance which was so essential to the successful war effort. He also knows that had Israel not conducted its surgical strike against Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981, our forces might well have confronted a Saddam Hussein armed with nuclear weapons in 1991. An economic partnership Israel's greatest resource has always been the genius of its people, and America has always benefitted from that genius. In 1991, American exports to Israel totalled $3.3 billion, and over the next five years, Israel is expected to purchase as much as $30 billion in American goods -- providing needed benefits and jobs to the American economy. * Together, our two nations will create a Joint American-Israeli High-Tech Commission to work on research and development of the technologies of the twenty-first century. Against the arms race We learned from Saddam's conquest of Kuwait that missiles and military dictators are a dangerous combination. It is time we became a leader in the effort to rein in the dangerous proliferation not only of weapons of mass destruction, but of conventional arsenals as well. * We need to aid Israel's defense against these dangerous weapons by ensuring the completion of the Arrow anti-ballistic missile. * We need an Administration that will produce action, not just promises to stop the spread of dangerous missiles in the Middle East. We need a strong international effort and tough sanctions to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of tyrants like those in Iran, Iraq, and Libya. The Record * Senator Gore has strongly supported Israel throughout his congressional career. He recognizes that Israel is an important ally in a region of great volatility and high stakes. * Spoke out on the Senate floor against President Bush's politicization of humanitarian loan guarantees for Israel to absorb Jewish immigrants from the former USSR. * Strongly criticized the President for violating longstanding U.S. policy that distinguishes between Israeli control of Jerusalem and all other issues relating to the status of the West Bank. * Championed a provision to block Defense Department contractors compliance with the Arab Leagues secondary boycott of Israel. * Supported the use of force to evict Iraqi troops from Kuwait. In the aftermath of the war, Gore strongly condemned George Bush's belated response to the massacre of Kurds and Shiites who rose up against him. Gore believes America and the United Nations must use all means necessary to ensure that Saddam Hussein fully complies with UN ceasefire and disarmament resolutions. * Consistently opposed proposals by the Reagan and Bush Administrations to export advance weapons to the Middle East. * Authored legislation to stop the proliferation of ballistic nuclear missile technology, and is an original co-sponsor of the pending Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act to deter the transfer of chemical, biological, nuclear, and advanced conventional weapons technologies to those countries.