The scope and pace of change has truly been breathtaking. It has come so fast that what was previously unthinkable is now routine. In the face of difficult challenges, it is easy to forget how dramatically the peace process has already transformed the landscape of the Middle East. As we move forward, we must remember the enormous progress we have made. None of the challenges we now face is more pressing than the fight against terrorism.
Terrorism destroys innocent lives.
It undermines a society's sense of security-and with it the very foundation upon which a lasting peace must be built. As such, terrorism is a threat to our national interests-not simply in the Middle East but around the world. President Clinton has rightly identified terrorism as one of the most important security challenges we face in the wake of the Cold War. As he said in his address to the United Nations last October, terrorism today is a worldwide phenomenon. No one is immune-certainly not Israel but also not Egypt or Japan or France, Britain or Germany or Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, or Algeria, and, unfortunately, not America, where terrorists have struck from lower Manhattan to Oklahoma City.