Letter: Republicans Abroad in Israel to President Bush against Roadmap

IMRA | 5/27/2003 | Republicans Abroad in Israel

[anotherview]

George Washington wasn't a terrorist.

The British sure said he was, and put a price on his head. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

The problem is that Yasser Arafat is an unreconstructed terrorist. He still is responsible for terrorism today. He still controls the P.A. I fear that Mahmoud Abbas has little real power.

Let's see if Mohammed Dahlan can get Jabril Rajoub reinstated over Arafat's objections. If that happens I will believe that Abbas actually has some power.

[anotherview]

The more important points, regardless of the outcome of the road map (to perdition)?

1. Does is defeat the Islamic terrorists and the regimes that support them ?
2. Does it save or cost American and Allied lives in the war on terror ?

Excellent questions. The answer to both is yes IF the Roadmap were to actually succeed. The terrorists would lose one of their big justifications and would find recruitment all the more difficult. If America, Israel, or other allies do not have to deal with Palestinian terrorists of course that saves lives.

Assuming the Roadmap fails (and I do assume that) it gives President Bush more political ammunition for the war on terror and takes away the ability for the French, Russians, et al to look like anything other than self-serving idiots. More importantly, it will strengthen Bush's support for the war on terrorism among the American people and weaken the Democrats.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

[anotherview]

If you think transfer is no solution and the Palestinians are never going to stop terror and incitement, do you have a Plan B ?

Actually, yes. Unilateral separation, but with borders the Palestinians will hate. Dismantle the PA, remove the leaders, disarm them, and cage them in. No suicide bomber has successfully penetrated Israel from Gaza. Why? A big fence and lots of IDF troops. We need the same encircling the entire Palestinian population, or as close to that as is possible. We need to reroute the fence to take in the Etzion bloc, the Ariel bloc, and a corridor to Hebron.

[anotherview]

I think you need to reread my posts, as in all of them. I have defended President Bush, not attacked him. I, and others, accused his father of tilting towards the Arabs, and I have presented the idea that it was a contributing factor in his defeat in 1992. I really support this President Bush, and I think his policy has been in both Israel's and America's interests.

[Words]

My question is this: if the US- primarily President Bush, doesn't try to help with peace in Israel, who will?

1) Absence of war isn't peace.
2) Without outside pressure, lecturing, moralizing, meddling there'd have been peace with Arafat long gone or shot, terrorists in the ground etcetera.
3) Israeli and other lefties but especially israeli loons cried for american involvement in this peace processing consortium and now Bush works for them, they are jubilant, once the whole shop fails... finish it yourself.

[carton253]

Here is my definition of a terrorist: One who systematically targets civilians to gain a political goal.

That was not George Washington.

That is Yasser Arafat and it is Bin Ladin.

[Words]

The more important points, regardless of the outcome of the road map (to perdition)
Does is defeat the Islamic terrorists and the regimes that support them ?

No. It legalizes one such regime.

Does it save or cost American and Allied lives in the war on terror ?

It'll cost, because terrorism pays

[itsahoot]

f (as I expect) the Palestinians never live up to their responsibilities under the Roadmap and continue to commit terrorist acts, President Bush will be in the position to take action against them or else give Israel the green light to do so.

With all due respect this is the same argument that was posed when President Bush signed the unconstitutional Campaign Finance Reform, The Supreme Court will never let it stand. Well......we shall see, but right now it doesn't look all that good.

[itsahoot]

Two words: Ross Perot.

Ross Perot became a factor for a reason, there was a weakness percieved in President Bush, he exploited it and people responded. If he had filed and hid he may have been elected.

By the way Cal Thomas just appeared on neil Cavito's show and denounced the road map as suicide for Israel,

[SJackson]

With all due respect this is the same argument that was posed when President Bush signed the unconstitutional Campaign Finance Reform...

That's an excellent comparison.

[rintense]

I'll agree with you on the Perot thing. But since you mentioned Reagan 'capturing' the Jewish vote, how is that any different than what the Bush bashers are accusing the President of doing with the Latino vote? Is it necessary to capture a creed of voter, or isn't it better to capture all voters?

[anotherview]

By the way Cal Thomas just appeared on neil Cavito's show and denounced the road map as suicide for Israel,

Cal Thomas comes from the perspective of a Conservative Christian. To him giving up any of the West Bank is giving up part of the land promised to Israel by G-d, and therefore wrong.

I, OTOH, come from a Jewish and Israeli perspective. I would like to live in my little house in Netanya in peace without the constant threat of terrorist attack. If sacrificing some land will buy Israel peace it is worth it. If it saves Jewish lives is it worth it.

Do I believe land for peace can work? It has with Egypt, at least so far. Can it work now with the Palestinians? Unless there is a seed change in what the Palestinians teach their children, say in their media and in their mosques, then no, it can't.

The thing is, the Palestinians will be seen by Israel's allies, primarily the U.S., as the side responsible for the failure of the Roadmap. The Bush administration may finally understand that the Palestinian Authority supports and encourages terrorism. They may finally untie Prime Minister Sharon's hands. A failure to implement the Roadmap, to start fighting terror, to end incitement, or to disarm militants will spell the greatest disaster the Palestinians have ever known. It will let Israel deal with the terrorists and dismantle the P.A. once and for all.

I definitely see this as a win-win situation for Israel if Ariel Sharon and Silvan Shalom handle this deftly. I believe they will.