[Adapted from a letter sent to US Secretary of State Colin Powell, with a copy to Virginia Senator George Allen, on October 3, 2004.]
Mr. Secretary:
I have been opposed to the 'Roadmap' since its inception, for the following reasons:
1) Israel is not a US Territory, nor is it our 51st state. It is a sovereign government. It has the right to accept, deny or change any treaties placed before it.
2) The 'Quartet' is primarily anti-Jew, or anti-Semitic. It is unbalanced and acts primarily to the benefit of the so-called Palestinians. For example, even the president, one of Israel's 'closest allies', called the Israelis to the carpet before all the United Nations and the rest of the world, in his recent speech, to call for an end to the "Palestinians' humiliation." This is not how the facts play out on the ground, sir. If the 'Quartet' wants to see the humiliations of the 'Palestinians' end, then you are applying pressure to the wrong government and the wrong organization.
3) It is most absurd, and also not in keeping with the facts on the ground, to expect a 'Palestinian' State in the middle of Israel. The mandate of the UN in 1947 gave both the Jews and Arabs of the land of Palestine portioned sections. Jordan is the home of the 'Palestinians'.
Immediately thereafter, the Arab nations had an uprising and usurped Israeli land, duly apportioned by the UN, the Balfour Declaration, et al. In 1967, Israel preempted a huge strike by the Arabs and reclaimed her land. But now, it is called "occupied territory", and the 'Quartet' wants to give it 'back' to the 'Palestinians.' I don't know of any other country that would be required to do this, or that has been so required.
4) No Arab nation (among the 22 surrounding Israel in the Middle East, containing approximately 500 times the land little Israel holds) will take the 'refugees', because that would mean discontinuing their propaganda scheme. At least two Arab countries have expelled the 'Palestinians' (Kuwait and Lebanon) due to continual upheaval by this Arab group. Why does the 'Quartet' continue to pressure Israel to come to the bargaining table, to give concession after concession, to put a freeze on the growth of Israel, to force Israel to do something with the Arabs? Is it just so the 'Quartet', or the authors of the Oslo Accords or the Wye Accord, can appease the Arabs? Yet, the Arabs continue killings, bringing in more and more armor and terrorists, and teach their toddlers to hate the Jews and teach in their schools that to kill all Jews is the righteous thing to do. Little boys are sent to camps to learn about Jihad and to learn that martyrdom is the highest of all callings. Killing of the Jews is exalted there.
5) Seen from the facts on the ground, the 'Roadmap', at its best, is a sort of fairytale that one hopes and wishes could come true. At its worst, it is a boot on the neck of the Israelis, whose government, in trying to implement and get ahead on the map, is driving Israel in two. It has led to Ariel Sharon acting like a dictator and either firing or intimidating and jailing those that disagree with his plans, and to growing dissent among groups who are rightfully unwilling to give up their homes.
6) For all the meddling and the summits and the visits and the scolding, nothing has changed with the Arabs, who don't want a two-state solution anyway, but a one-state solution - a state deplete of any Jews. The 'Quartet' is putting the pressure on the wrong countries -- Jordan should be in the center of the stage, not Israel.
I think that the Roadmap should go the way of so many other plans for Middle East peace. It is not working, and isn't going to work, because you need two parties to make it viable, and there has never been anyone in that capacity on the 'Palestinian' side. In the more than ten years of Oslo-like peace treaties, none have succeeded. In the long- and short-run, Israel always gets the shaft, and the 'Palestinians' are rewarded for their terrorist behavior.
As Israel has absorbed many thousands of Arabs, given them citizenship, included them in their government process, etc. Again, I think you pressure the wrong people. Jordan could and should be convinced to assimilate their Arab brothers, and any that wish to remain among the Jewish communities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza should be required to lay down their arms and live under Israeli rule, in a Jewish country. If they don't like it, they may leave.
Thank you so much for your time.
Mr. Secretary:
I have been opposed to the 'Roadmap' since its inception, for the following reasons:
1) Israel is not a US Territory, nor is it our 51st state. It is a sovereign government. It has the right to accept, deny or change any treaties placed before it.
2) The 'Quartet' is primarily anti-Jew, or anti-Semitic. It is unbalanced and acts primarily to the benefit of the so-called Palestinians. For example, even the president, one of Israel's 'closest allies', called the Israelis to the carpet before all the United Nations and the rest of the world, in his recent speech, to call for an end to the "Palestinians' humiliation." This is not how the facts play out on the ground, sir. If the 'Quartet' wants to see the humiliations of the 'Palestinians' end, then you are applying pressure to the wrong government and the wrong organization.
3) It is most absurd, and also not in keeping with the facts on the ground, to expect a 'Palestinian' State in the middle of Israel. The mandate of the UN in 1947 gave both the Jews and Arabs of the land of Palestine portioned sections. Jordan is the home of the 'Palestinians'.
Immediately thereafter, the Arab nations had an uprising and usurped Israeli land, duly apportioned by the UN, the Balfour Declaration, et al. In 1967, Israel preempted a huge strike by the Arabs and reclaimed her land. But now, it is called "occupied territory", and the 'Quartet' wants to give it 'back' to the 'Palestinians.' I don't know of any other country that would be required to do this, or that has been so required.
4) No Arab nation (among the 22 surrounding Israel in the Middle East, containing approximately 500 times the land little Israel holds) will take the 'refugees', because that would mean discontinuing their propaganda scheme. At least two Arab countries have expelled the 'Palestinians' (Kuwait and Lebanon) due to continual upheaval by this Arab group. Why does the 'Quartet' continue to pressure Israel to come to the bargaining table, to give concession after concession, to put a freeze on the growth of Israel, to force Israel to do something with the Arabs? Is it just so the 'Quartet', or the authors of the Oslo Accords or the Wye Accord, can appease the Arabs? Yet, the Arabs continue killings, bringing in more and more armor and terrorists, and teach their toddlers to hate the Jews and teach in their schools that to kill all Jews is the righteous thing to do. Little boys are sent to camps to learn about Jihad and to learn that martyrdom is the highest of all callings. Killing of the Jews is exalted there.
5) Seen from the facts on the ground, the 'Roadmap', at its best, is a sort of fairytale that one hopes and wishes could come true. At its worst, it is a boot on the neck of the Israelis, whose government, in trying to implement and get ahead on the map, is driving Israel in two. It has led to Ariel Sharon acting like a dictator and either firing or intimidating and jailing those that disagree with his plans, and to growing dissent among groups who are rightfully unwilling to give up their homes.
6) For all the meddling and the summits and the visits and the scolding, nothing has changed with the Arabs, who don't want a two-state solution anyway, but a one-state solution - a state deplete of any Jews. The 'Quartet' is putting the pressure on the wrong countries -- Jordan should be in the center of the stage, not Israel.
I think that the Roadmap should go the way of so many other plans for Middle East peace. It is not working, and isn't going to work, because you need two parties to make it viable, and there has never been anyone in that capacity on the 'Palestinian' side. In the more than ten years of Oslo-like peace treaties, none have succeeded. In the long- and short-run, Israel always gets the shaft, and the 'Palestinians' are rewarded for their terrorist behavior.
As Israel has absorbed many thousands of Arabs, given them citizenship, included them in their government process, etc. Again, I think you pressure the wrong people. Jordan could and should be convinced to assimilate their Arab brothers, and any that wish to remain among the Jewish communities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza should be required to lay down their arms and live under Israeli rule, in a Jewish country. If they don't like it, they may leave.
Thank you so much for your time.