AT THE outset I wish to reiterate the government of Israel's total and wholehearted commitment to the continuation of the peace process.
The peace process with the Palestinians, which has been under way since the Madrid conference of 1991, is of paramount importance for Israel.
As such, all elements in Israeli society and politics are united in an essential commitment of achieving a peaceful resolution of our differences with the Palestinians. Over the past few months the government of Israel has continued to engage in a fruitful and meaningful dialogue with the Palestinian Council.
High level meetings have taken place between the Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, the Foreign Minister, Mr David Levy, the Defence Minister, Mr Yitzhak Mordekhai and the chairman of the Palestinian Council, Mr Yasser Arafat. All of these meetings underscore Israel's commitment to maintaining an ongoing and purposeful dialogue with the Palestinian Council. A common agenda has been set up in order to complete the implementation of the interim agreement.
Certain aspects of the closure have been relaxed and the number of entry permits to workers have been increased.
Our concern, however, regarding the economic impact of the closure must be balanced by the necessity of ensuring the physical safety of our population. Israel, for its part, has no desire to inflict damage upon the Palestinian economy nor cause undue suffering and hardship.
These steps give evidence of our continued commitment to achieve peace with the Palestinians.
Israel will honour all agreements which were signed by previous governments but reciprocity is the cornerstone for continued progress. To that end we have formed, together with the Palestinians, a high level steering committee which will work to resolve the outstanding issues between the two sides.
The attempt to create an atmosphere of political pressure upon Israel does not serve the interest of peace in the Middle East. It is unacceptable that, even prior to dialogue, negotiations or talks, our Arab interlocutors should engage in such tactics.
The Palestinian Council itself has recognised that terrorist attacks, and the closure which ensued, have adversely affected the inhabitants of the territories.
The opening of the Western Wall Tunnel should be viewed as part of the restoration of the tunnel and as part of an ongoing effort to reveal major archeological finds in Jerusalem and to improve the tourism infrastructure in the Old City.
It must be emphasised that no part of the tunnel runs underneath the Temple Mount. No archeological or religious sites were damaged in its construction. It does not endanger any buildings or other structures in the Old City. No private property was expropriated, or confiscated in order to accomplish this project.
Furthermore, the restoration of the tunnel does not violate the interim agreement signed be tween Israel and the Palestinians as archeological restorations in Jerusalem are not covered by the document.
The current atmosphere, incitement and barely disguised threats have unfortunately led to violence and are a clear warning regarding the consequences of the current escalation of rhetoric. The manifestations of violence over the last few days do not serve the interests of any participant in the peace process.
If the Palestinians are truly interested in dialogue and reaching a peaceful solution to the differences between us then immediate steps must be taken by the Palestinian Council to restore calm and refrain from incitement of its constituency.
We view the recent incidents which accompanied the opening of the new entrance to the Western Wall Tunnel as part of an ongoing campaign to reap political profit by pressuring Israel to adopt certain positions even before the issues themselves have come up for negotiation.
It is apparent that the current outbreak of violence is a calculated manoeuvre to achieve certain political advantages before the resumption of negotiations and not a spontaneous occurrence engendered by the opening of the entrance to the tunnel.