Bush's "Road Map" Is A Road Map To Disaster -- Will Create
A Palestinian Arab Terror State That Will Endanger Israel

NEW YORK- The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has strongly
criticized the Bush administration's "Road Map" plan, warning that it is a
road map to disaster--it will create a Palestinian Arab terrorist state that
will endanger Israel and undermine America's war against terrorism:

The ZOA is launching a nationwide campaign against the Road Map plan.
The ZOA's efforts will include full-page newspaper advertisements from coast
to coast; meetings with Members of Congress and the Bush administration; and
public programs in conjunction with pro-Israel Christian organizations.

The ZOA's campaign will emphasize:

* The Road Map will create a new terror state, a mini-Iraq: The Road Map
intends to create a "provisional" Palestinian Arab state this year, with
permanent borders by 2005. Since the Palestinian Authority regime shelters,
glorifies, and sponsors terrorists; and since it actively promotes of
culture of anti-Jewish and anti-American hatred and violence (in its media,
schools, summer camps, religious sermons, and speeches), a Palestinian Arab
state will inevitably be a terrorist state.
A February 2003 McLaughlin poll found that by a margin of 71% to 13%,
Americans oppose creating a Palestinian Arab state because they believe such
a state would seek to destroy Israel.

* Palestinian Arab obligations are vague and unverifiable: The Road Map
requires the PA to "Undertake visible efforts on the ground" against
terrorism. The vague term "visible efforts" means that once again, the PA
will be allowed to get away with revolving-door-arrests and other phony
gestures that give the appearance of fighting terrorism--but only when the
television cameras are turned on. The Road Map does not require the PA to
undertake specific, verifiable actions such as outlawing terrorist groups;
surrendering terrorists to Israel for prosecution; or seizing terrorists
weapons and turning them over to Israel.

* Endangers Israeli control of its capital city, Jerusalem: The wording
of the Road Map implies forcing Israel to cede major sections of Jerusalem.
It states that the goal of the plan is to "end the occupation that began in
1967," and the U.S. government has traditionally referred to the Old City
section of Jerusalem (where the Western Wall and Temple Mount are located)
as "occupied territory."
The Road Map also requires the convening of an "international
conference" that will deal with Jerusalem and other issues. Since at such a
conference, Israel will be completely outnumbered by governments demanding
Israeli surrender of parts of Jerusalem.

* Monitoring compliance will be in the hands of harsh critics of Israel:
The Road Map states that "The Quartet will meet regularly at senior levels
to evaluate the parties' performance." Thus the job of determining if the
Palestinian Arabs are complying will be in the hands of four parties that
have been consistently hostile to Israel and sympathetic to the Palestinian
Arabs--the European Union, the United Nations, Russia, and the State
Departments.

* Undermines Israel's anti-terror operations: The Road Map requires
Israel to "End demolitions of the homes of Palestinian militants." The
Israeli Army has found that the policy of dismantling the homes of
Palestinian Arab terrorists --which is fully sanctioned by Israel's highest
court-- is an effective deterrent against terrorism.

* New PA Prime Minister supports terror, denies Holocaust: The Bush
administration's decision to promote the Road Map is based on the myth that
the new PA prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is a moderate. In fact,
as recently as March 3, Abbas publicly endorsed the murder of Israelis
beyond the 1967 border, and he has written a book denying the Holocaust. A
February 2003 McLaughlin poll found that by 64% to 20%, Americans believe
that international leaders should refuse to meet with Mazen just as they
refuse to meet with other Holocaust-deniers.

* Jewish construction restricted, Arab construction ignored: The Road
Map imposes an un-American policy of ethnic discrimination, by halting
Jewish construction in the disputed Judea-Samaria territories, while not
limiting the much more widespread Arab construction in those areas.

* Undermines America's war against terrorism: The creation of a
Palestinian Arab state would, in effect, reward the PA for its ongoing
terrorist war against Israel, and send a message to terrorists everywhere
that their violence will reap political concessions.

* * *

The Zionist Organization of America, founded in 1897, is the oldest
pro-Israel organization in the United States. The ZOA works to strengthen
U.S.-Israel relations, educates the American public and Congress about the
dangers that Israel faces, and combats anti-Israel bias in the media and on
college campuses. Its past presidents have included Supreme Court Justice
Louis Brandeis and Rabbi Dr. Abba Hillel Silver.