Effort afoot in US Congress to support Apartheid Wall
22 July 2003
Effort afoot in US Congress to support Apartheid Wall
Rep. Joseph Crowley (NY) and Senator Charles Schumer (NY) are both circulating letters in support of Israel’s Apartheid Wall that they hope their congressional colleagues will sign. The letters are eventually intended for President George W. Bush.
Both letters misstate the facts about the Wall Israel is building in claiming that it runs between Israel and the West Bank. In fact, much of it runs well inside the West Bank and separates thousands of Palestinians from their agricultural land. For this, it has properly been dubbed the “Apartheid Wall” as it would relegate Palestinians to bantustans.
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice addressed the matter with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in late June and the matter is likely to be a topic of discussion during the last days of July when first Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and then Sharon are in Washington, DC.
The letters, first from Rep. Crowley and then from Senator Schumer, follow below. Typographical errors and errors of fact about the wall are denoted by “sic.”
Any member of Congress can be reached at 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121. The White House comment line can be reached at 202-456-1111.
Please make note of changes in text
Dear Colleague:
Recent press reports have stated Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas will be traveling to Washington, D.C. next week to meet with President Bush. These reports also state Prime Minister Abbas will be or has entered into a power sharing agreement with Arafat. The President must make it clear during these meeting (sic) that the U.S. will not ask Israel to make any concession until Arafat is removed from any position whether it be substantive or symbolic for a true and lasting peace to be achieved.
I urge you to sign the attached letter and let President Bush know the U.S . will not stand for any reengagement of Arafat in the peace process. If you would like to sign on or for more information please contact Gregg Sheiowitz in my office via phone at 5-3965 or via email at gregg.sheiowitz@mail.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Joseph Crowley
Member of Congress
July 16, 2003
The Honorable George W. Bush
President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Bush:
We have recently seen reports that Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas will be making his first trip to the White House on July 25, 2003. During these meetings, we would respectfully request that you and members of your administration continue to impress upon Prime Minister Abbas the importance of limiting Yassir Arafat’s role within the PA for U.S.-Palestinian relations.
News reports have stated that Prime Minister Abbas has recently accepted a power sharing agreement with Arafat, a man who is largely responsible for the terrible loss of life on the (sic) both sides during the second Intifada. Consequently, Arafat should have no role in negotiating future agreements, especially those concerning security forces and cooperation. During the Intifada, Arafat used a revolving door policy for terrorists being held within Palestinian jails and the periodic rounding up and release of terrorists was often utilized to augment his demands on Israel. While Palestinians may continue to accept Arafat’s leadership role, the United States should make clear that we will not have any dealings with him, and that his continued prominence only harms Palestinian interests.
Additionally, with respect to Arafat, we remain concerned about the continued visits by foreign officials to his office. These frequent high level meetings only reinforce Arafat’s authority within the PA and strengthen his position with the Palestinian people. We urge you to work with your counterparts in the international community, particularly with the members of the Quartet, to fully realize the clear intention of the Roadmap’s call for a Palestinian “…prime minister…with empowered executive authority….” The other members of the Quartet and the international community must come to recognize that removing Arafat from any substantive role in the PA is critical if the just and lasting peace foreseen in the Roadmap is to be achieved.
Finally we are concerned about reported discussions your national security advisor, Dr. Rice, has had with the Israeli government concerning the construction of the security fence between Israel and parts of the West Bank (sic). While we agree that the fence should not become Israel’s de facto border, and that conclusive political boundary discussions should be reserved for the negotiations on the final status agreement called for in phase III of the Roadmap, we are concerned that the Administration is mistakenly pressuring Israel to limit construction of this important security barrier. In order for the Roadmap, or any peace plan to be successful, the Israeli people must be secure. The Government of Israel believes that the construction of a security fence between parts of the West Bank and Israel (sic) will make it much more difficult for terrorists to attack innocent Israeli civilians. We should not be hampering such an important project.
In closing, we want to reiterate a point you have forcefully made yourself, one we hope you will make again when you see Prime Minister Abbas: for peace to be achieved between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, the Palestinian terrorist groups must be dismantled, urgently and permanently. We appreciate your continued attention to this matter and we stand ready to work with you to achieve this important aim.
Sincerely,
Joseph Crowley
Member of Congress
- – - – -
Gregg E. Sheiowitz
Legislative Assistant
Congressman Joseph Crowley
New York-7th District
312 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
202.225.3965 (Phone)
202.225.1909 (Fax)
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC
Via Facsimile 202-456-2461
July , 2003
Dear President Bush,
We are writing to express our support for the security fence presently being constructed by the Israeli government to help prevent Palestinian terrorists from infiltrating Israeli population centers. In light of recent reports, we are seeking to clarify the Administration’s position towards the future of the fence. Since September 2000, Palestinian terrorists have launched more than 18,000 attacks, killing nearly 800 Israelis and wounding over 5,000 others. In light of the continuing violence, we believe that completion of the security fence is a vital part of the overall war against terrorism in the Middle East.
The government of Israel reluctantly decided to build a security fence only after Palestinian violence against Israeli citizens reached an intolerable level. The purpose of the fence is very clear — to stop suicide bombers from crossing over from Palestinian cities and towns into Israel to murder as many Israeli citizens as they can. There would be no need for the fence if the Palestinian Authority were taking the steps they have long promised to take to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and themselves prevent suicide bombers from reaching Israel. Israel must protect its citizens and building a fence is one of the most effective ways of doing that. Virtually no suicide bombers have come to Israel from the Gaza Strip because of the controlled fence that separates Gaza from Israel. The hope is that such a fence along the West Bank (sic) will provide similar protection and will go a long way in saving Israeli lives.
At the end of this month, the first stage of the fence is due to be completed and at the end of the year, the second stage is also due to be finished. Construction of the third and fourth stages have (sic) yet to begin. This is a crucial time for Prime Minister Sharon to know that the American government will support his government’s right to protect its people. We ask you to clarify your position on the building of the security fence, with hope that you will support it. Like all countries, Israel has an unqualified right to defend itself when threatened by violence — a right every other nation including ours takes as a given. The building of the fence is nothing short of an attempt to do just that.
Thank you for your attention to our concerns. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senate
