Q : So the Palestinians can remain calm in the knowledge that the Netanyahu government plans to negotiate a permanent settlement with them? A : Netanyahu's line during the election campaign was: Who will do a better, more aggressive, job of negotiating issues related to the permanent settlement -- the previous government, or the incoming one? This also entails an intention to conduct negotiations on the permanent settlement. Q : What sort of settlement? A : The position of the Prime Minister-elect is that the Palestinians should be given maximum autonomy, with Israel maintaining maximum security for itself. And of course, the Likud position's specifies self-rule for the Palestinians; this is the starting point. Israel has a number of important interests in Judea and Samaria, and these must be safeguarded. Q : Interests such as what? A : There is a prepared list -- security, strategic security, the IDF's presence in the Jordan Valley and at other strategic sites in Judea and Samaria. And to the extent that Arafat cannot -- or does not want to -- fulfill his commitment in the area of security, or that he fails to recognize this responsibility, Israel will have to ensure its security on its own, maintaining the freedom to act in defense of its citizens. And there is the water issue. Israel depends upon the underground water resources in Judea and Samaria. A fourth issue is Jerusalem and its environs. Finally, I would add what I call "demographic security" -- that we