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