Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview in Jerusalem – 6 November 1995

Below is the text of Mr Major’s doorstep interview in Jerusalem on 6th November 1995.

QUESTION:

Could you just tell us whether you think the Middle East is now a less stable place, after the assassination?

PRIME MINISTER:

Over the last few years, both Palestinians and the Israelis have made tremendous strides towards a Middle East settlement. Very few people anticipated that it would have got this far, and a great deal of the credit for that is of course to Prime Minister Rabin. I believe that his legacy will help carry that forward. I think that must be the hope. I don’t have a shred of doubt from my separate discussions with the Israelis and with the Palestinians that there is a will to take this matter forward. I very much hope that that will can be built on.

QUESTION:

Do you think there are any lessons here for the Northern Ireland peace process?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well, I think there are some communal lessons for all processes of this sort. They are very difficult. They are very time-consuming. They need a lot of patience. Sometimes there are setbacks. It’s necessary to keep going. And from time to time it’s necessary to take risks. That has been true of the peace process here. It’s true of the Northern Ireland process as well.