In the first decades of statehood, we fought a war every nine or 10 years. There was constant anxiety about the soldiers on the front lines. Eight years ago we entered a peace process and stopped fighting the familiar kind of wars. But our anxieties persisted. Fathers feared for their sons patrolling the alleys of Jabaliya and Nablus.
Mothers still fear for the lives of their children in Lebanon.
Most of our friction with the Palestinians has dissipated and I have promised to end the bloodletting in Lebanon by July 2000. I will keep that promise. Still, as long as the conflict remains unresolved we cannot live in peace. I am determined to change that. We have an opportunity to transform our anxiety-ridden society into a normal one.