The following is IMRA's translation of the letter presented to Prime Minister Netanyahu which was endorsed by the entire National Religious Party (NRP) Knesset Faction.

14 October 1998

Mr. Binyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel

Greetings,

Re: The Position of The Government of Israel at the USA Summit

Dear Prime Minister!

The NRP faction has repeatedly made clear its position completely rejecting the interim withdrawals which prepare the territorial infrastructure for the establishment of a Palestinian state and prepare additional territory as cities of refuge for Palestinian terror.

To the best of our knowledge, the Government of Israel should have stopped, long ago, the destructive process of interim withdrawals which have no value and to insist on the immediate opening of negotiations of a permanent settlement. Therefore, the members of the faction will vote against the withdrawal agreement.

Yet also in accordance with the views of the prime minister, who sees himself committed to interim withdrawals, it is clear that it is not possible to carry out unilateral withdrawals without the Palestinians mutually honoring all of the obligation which they took upon themselves in the Oslo agreements, and which they again committed to in the Hebron Accords.

This decision gained expression in a unanimous cabinet decision on the first of Kislev 5758 (30.11.98), which explicitly set that the carrying out of the additional stage of the redeployment in Judea and Samaria "is subject to the carrying out of the Palestinian obligations a per the Note For The Record of 15.1.97 as a result of the Hebron Accord."

Recently we have witnessed pressures from within and without trying to erode these Palestinian obligations and turn them into declarations empty of content which will again be discussed in various committees and will not be actually carried out.

Therefore, the NRP faction wishes to make clear that it stands four square on the implementation of the cabinet decisions regarding the actual realization of all Palestinian obligations as a prior condition to all implementation of an agreement by the Government of Israel.

In particular, we wish to emphasize the following points:

1. Insuring the security of the settlement and their continued development - in any agreement.

2. The transfer of the 36 named Palestinian murderers, whose transfer Israel has demanded and their placed on trial in Israel and their serving their appropriate sentences.

3. Cancellation of the Palestinian Charter in the PNC, as required by the Charter itself and not by alternatives that do not have the authority to do so.

4. The disarming and destruction of the terror infrastructure of Hamas and active and determined war against terror in all of its types.

5. Reduction of the Palestinian police, which is in practice an army in all respects, from 36 thousand people to 24 thousand, as required by the agreement.

6. End of the incitement and call for Jihad within the framework of the Palestinian media with the establishment of a permanent, effective and active system which will insure this.

In addition, we wish to make clear that it is impossible to reach any agreement with the Palestinian Authority without a priori agreement regarding the extent of the third withdrawal, which according to your public declarations will not exceed 1%.

If this will not be agreed upon in advance with the PA, the second withdrawal will not bring even one moment of calm and immediately after it the devil's dance around the third withdrawal, the threats of intafada and terror will be renewed if we don't respond to the demands of Arafat for an additional withdrawal of tens of percentages.

And above all, it is incumbent on the Palestinian Authority to commit as a condition to any agreement, and as an integral part of it, that it will not unilaterally declare the establishment of a Palestinian state, without negotiation of the permanent agreement, so that any parcel of land given to the Palestinians within the framework of the interim withdrawals won't unilaterally become part of a Palestinian state.

Mr. Prime Minister! These important points are critical points for the NRP, and after a thorough discussion it was unanimously decided in the NRP faction that if a second withdrawal is decided upon without these basic terms made the NRP will act to advance the elections.

Therefore, we turn to you and ask you to insist on these conditions within the framework of the summit in the USA, as a basis for any agreement. There is no doubt that the claim for reciprocity gets support from the majority of the nation, as proven by the attached surveys.

We hope with all our hearts that you will stand valiantly on our hold in the Land of Israel and on the security of the nation in light of the matters included in this letter.

And things which come from the heart go to the heart.

"God will give strength to his People, God will bless his People with peace!"

With trust,