Posted on 05/28/2003 8:05:33 AM PDT by LarryM
Letter: Republicans Abroad in Israel to President Bush against Roadmap
27 May 2003
The Honorable George Bush President of the United States of America The White House Washington DC
Dear Mr. President,
We, the Republicans Abroad - Israel, would like to applaud your leadership in the global war against terror.
By removing the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, and eliminating the evil regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, your administration has made the world a safer place for democracy and freedom. Under your stewardship, America has once again demonstrated that it is a benevolent superpower, one which uses force not to impose tyranny on others, but rather to liberate them from it.
As such, we are especially perplexed by your decision to press for the implementation of the Middle East "Road Map", which is slated to lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Since September 2000, the Palestinian Authority has engaged in a campaign of terror against Israel, and it is inconceivable that they should now be rewarded with statehood for their mindless acts of violence.
Moreover, as a result of various Palestinian attacks, more than a dozen American citizens have been killed during this period. Justice demands that the Palestinian Authority turn over those responsible for these acts to the United States, something they have thus far failed to do.
We believe that pressuring Israel to negotiate with terrorists at the same time that America is waging war on terror is both morally untenable and intellectually inconsistent. It blurs the clarity of vision which you have repeatedly enunciated since the September 11 terror attacks in New York and Washington, and sends the wrong message to terrorists around the world, namely, that violence can and does pay.
Mr. President, as loyal members of the Republican Party, we would also urge you to consider the political consequences which pursuit of the "Road Map" will likely entail.
Pressing ahead with this plan will only serve to alienate American Jews and the Christian right, many of whom view the "Road Map" as an act of defiance against the Divine promise to bestow the Land of Israel to the people of Israel.
Indeed, we are aware of increasing numbers of American citizens - both here in Israel and in the United States - who are now considering abandoning the Republican party as a result of your Administration's pursuit of the "Road Map".
In light of the above, we would therefore urge you to reconsider, and to cease pressuring Israel to implement the "Road Map".
For, as Vice President Richard Cheney said following the recent terrorist attack in Riyadh, "The only way to deal with this threat ultimately is to destroy it. There's no treaty that can solve this problem. There's no peace agreement, no policy of containment or deterrence that works to deal with this threat. We have to go find the terrorists".
Therefore, we believe the United States should stand behind Israel during these difficult times, and give it the full backing and support it requires to defeat the ongoing Palestinian terrorist threat which it faces on a daily basis.
Sincerely, Eliyahu Weinstein Bob Lang Chairman Co-Chairman Republicans Abroad in Israel 31 Mishol Hadekalim Jerusalem 97278 ISRAEL Telephone: 972-2-571-5030 Fax: 972-2-571-5031 Email: info@israelgop.co.il Website: www.israelgop.co.il
-------------------------------------------- IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis Website: www.imra.org.il
Wait a minute, didn't someone already say that ?
Does anyone know who said that ?
Anything but. Most Israelis want peace. We are sick and tired of 100 years of conflict. This way Sharon steals any political thunder from the so-called "peace camp" of leftist parties like Labor and Meretz. If by some miracle the Roadmap works (and I don't see how it can), he, like Menachem Begin before him, will go down in history as a great peacemaker and a great Prime Minister. If it fails because the Palestinians won't stop the terror or incitement he can then say he did everything possible to give peace a chance and that the only alternative left is to remove the Palestinian leadership and dismantle the P.A. He would likely get support from the Bush administration to do so if the Roadmap fails, something Prime Minister Sharon has not had up until now.
The worst that will happen is that National Union will pull out of the government. They will sooner or later anyway. They pulled out of the previous Sharon government and caused Binyamin Netanyahu's downfall as well. The good news is that the coalition will still have 62 seats without them, and the oppostion will be divided between the far right and the left who never agree on anything. This is why bringing Shinui into the government was so important to Ariel Sharon. National Union cannot hold him hostage to their agenda.
People underestimate Arik Sharon. He is incredibly smart, and a very shrewd politician. No matter what happens to the Roadmap he will come out stronger for it.
Anything but. Most Israelis want peace. We are sick and tired of 100 years of conflict. This way Sharon steals any political thunder from the so-called "peace camp" of leftist parties like Labor and Meretz. If by some miracle the Roadmap works (and I don't see how it can), he, like Menachem Begin before him, will go down in history as a great peacemaker and a great Prime Minister. If it fails because the Palestinians won't stop the terror or incitement he can then say he did everything possible to give peace a chance and that the only alternative left is to remove the Palestinian leadership and dismantle the P.A. He would likely get support from the Bush administration to do so if the Roadmap fails, something Prime Minister Sharon has not had up until now.
The worst that will happen is that National Union will pull out of the government. They will sooner or later anyway. They pulled out of the previous Sharon government and caused Binyamin Netanyahu's downfall as well. The good news is that the coalition will still have 62 seats without them, and the oppostion will be divided between the far right and the left who never agree on anything. This is why bringing Shinui into the government was so important to Ariel Sharon. National Union cannot hold him hostage to their agenda.
People underestimate Arik Sharon. He is incredibly smart, and a very shrewd politician. No matter what happens to the Roadmap he will come out stronger for it.
Did the Irgun Stern target civilians? Yes or no. That, to me, defines the word.
By your reasoning, Bin Ladin is a terrorist until the moment he wins. Then, he is a patriot, visionary, or hero."
You write that Begin justified his murderous actions... it isn't for Begin to justify. Any crime, any murder, can be justified. But, that doesn't make the criminal or murderer any less guilty.
I'm sure you have already read much of what Ben Gurion wrote about Begin and Irgun... he didn't mince words. He called them terrorists too.
So, I'm going to give you the last word...as sad as it is.
I love the smell of capitulation in the afternoon.
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is most definitely in a power struggle with Arafat. Right now the PLC and most of the Palestinian infrastructure supports Arafat, and I am not sure anything Israel or the U.S. will do can change that. OTOH, I agree that Abbas was one of the people (along with Ahmed Qurei, Jabril Rajoub, and Mohammed Dahlan) who has gone public with his view that the Palestinians should have taken Barak's offer, if not at Camp David then at least at Taba. This means that he is willing to compromise to get a Palestinian state, and he might actually be interested in peace. Yasser Arafat was never willing to compromise at all. For this reason, if no other, Mahmoud Abbas should be seen as an improvement if we can finally defang Arafat.
Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Fatah, et all will not take this lying down. They will attack since they want to stop the peace talks. If Mazen cracks down on them (no revolving prison door, etc) then there might be a chance for peace.
We know from experience that this CAN be done. Arafat cracked down on Hamas and Islamic Jihad successfully in 1996. The problem is that Hamas has more public support now and is better armed. I really don't know that Abbas is willing or able to risk civil war to stop the terrorism, and that is precisely what he has to do. If he does he is certainly a stronger leader than Arafat. I fear he is not, and will never truly be given a chance to lead.
The Israelis want peace.
Yes, indeed. However, we will not accept an illusion of peace without securit guarantees. That is the path to destruction.
They have asked for America's help. Clinton sold them down the river.
I am not at all sure that the current government is all that keen on America's "help". However, Ariel Sharon understands the value of the relationship with President Bush and the U.S. See my previous post. Also, President Clinton did not sell Israel down the river. He is generally viewed as a friend of Israel. I think his efforts to make peace were genuine. He failed to understand that Yasser Arafat was no partner for peace. Heck, Israelis were so hungry for peace that the majority failed to see the signs that were there.
But, Israel cannot continue to "occupy" (IDF currently locking down Palestinian towns) for years and years. It is damaging their economy.
Israel is in the worst recession it has ever experienced. While the cause is not entirely due to the intifada, that is a big part of it. There is another, more serious reason why Israel must separate itself one way or another from the Palestinians. Look at their birth rate. Within a decade there may be more Arabs west of the Jordan than Jews. This cannot be allowed to happen within Israel's borders if we wish to remain a democracry. We also cannot fight a never ending war. While it is true that the conflict has flared since the 1920s, there have always been respites for recovery and growth. Israel needs one again. I don't think Bush will do that. The Israelis look to us... the Palestinians look to us. So, let's see what can be done. Who knows... maybe Mazen is on the up-and-up... Arafat will be truly sidelined... and the terror will be attacked.
May I suggest that you read Yossef Bodansky's "The High Cost of Peace." Then, you and I can revisit the subject of Bill Clinton being Israel's friend. (He was not!)
Hmmm... I thought GHWB lost because:
The Israel accusation is a new one to me.
Ronald Reagan captured the Jewish vote. The first President Bush did not. When President Bush froze some loan guarantees and aid to Israel over the settlement issue and had a confrontational relationship with Prime Minister Shamir it cost him any remaining support he had with Jewish voters. It may also be the reason some Conservative Christians stayed home.
American Jews vote in large numbers. The general population is far more apathetic, with typically half or more not showing up on election day. The lack of Jewish support may not have cost President Bush the election, but it sure didn't help him any.
BTW, IMHO there is only one reason President Bush lost his reelection bid in 1992. Two words: Ross Perot.
Actually, the Roadmap is based on a series of reciprocal and simultaneous actions. If the Palestinians do not stop attacks on Israel, do not stop incitement, and do not dismantle terrorist organizations they have failed to comply with Phase 1 of the Roadmap and it's dead in the water. Phase 2 never happens.
The roadmap, IMHO, is NOT fatally flawed IF the Palestinians hold up their end of the bargain. That is, IMHO, a very big if. But this is NOT a case where we need to ask "WTF is the Administration thinking?" pretty loudly.
At a guess: both President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon are giving the Palestinians one last chance at what they missed out on at Camp David and Taba. That is, a chance to determine their own destiny. This is mainly a sop to the Arabs, the U.N., the Europeans, and the Russians. If the Roadmap fails and blame can be put squarely on the Palestinians both men will have justification to pursue a military solution.
Don't underestimate President Bush or Prime Minister Sharon. Both are very smart men. I think they know exactly what they are doing, and I think they know what the real chance of success is.
Not so. Anwar Sadat flew planes for the Nazis and lead his country to attack Israel on the holiest day of the Jewish year in 1973. Menachem Begin was the head of the Irgun, which certainly was responsible for terrorist acts against the British. The two men rose above their past and made peace.
Sadly, I don't see a Sadat among the Palestinians. I would love to believe that Mahmoud Abbas is one, but he hasn't shown me anything to make me believe it.... yet.
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