American Palestine Affairs Council
Part of Yasser Arafat’s current method of operation is to whine that Israel has not fulfilled its obligations under the Oslo Accords and that President Clinton must “pressure” Israel to do so. This, of course, turns reality on its head since the Palestinian Authority is in violation of nearly all – if not all – of its own obligations.
Last week the American Palestine Affairs Council (AMPAC) carried the charade a step further.
Part of Yasser Arafat’s current method of operation is to whine that Israel has not fulfilled its obligations under the Oslo Accords and that President Clinton must “pressure” Israel to do so. This, of course, turns reality on its head since the Palestinian Authority is in violation of nearly all – if not all – of its own obligations.
Last week the American Palestine Affairs Council (AMPAC) carried the charade a step further. In December, a group of Congressmen wrote to Israel’s Prime Minister expressing their conviction that Congress would not support pressure on Israel to cede further territory to the PA. “We know Congress to be fed up with the Palestinian Authority’s gross violations of the Oslo Accords, corruption, human rights abuses and misappropriation of donations,” they wrote.
AMPAC executive committee Michael Sanford said, “I’ve never heard of anything more irresponsible… I’m not sure what they had in mind when they signed the letter, but it certainly wasn’t anything related to protecting vital U.S. interests.”
We aren’t sure what Mr. Sanford had in mind when he called the congressmen “irresponsible.”
Congress has been clearly in favor of the Middle East peace process, such as it is, committing American funds and prestige to the effort. But their patience, like that of many of the rest of us, is wearing thin. As for American vital interests, we would cite the letter and let the Congressmen tell you themselves. “For reasons of American security, we cannot fathom how the United States could continue to rely on the Israel Defense Forces alone to keep Iraq and Syria at bay with Israel’s underbelly exposed to massive ground threats. It is Israel’s military strength, bolstered by the control of these territories, that is the source of stability in the eastern Mediterranean region. We fear that any diminution in Israel’s strength might imperil our interests in the region and force American troops to assume a job best done by the IDF.”
The 23 members who signed the letter to Netanyahu are: Rep. Saxby Chambliss (GA); Rep. Tom DeLay (TX); Rep. Michael Forbes (NY); Rep. Jon Fox (PA); Rep. James Gibbons (NV); Rep. Joel Hefley (CO); Rep. James Hostettler (IN); Rep. Sue Kelly (NY); Rep. Steve Largent (OK); Rep. Bill McCollum (FL); Rep. David McIntosh (IN); Rep. Michael Pappas (NJ); Rep. Charles Pickering (MS); Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL); Rep. Steve Rothman (NJ); Rep. Jim Ryun (KS); Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ); Rep. Linda Smith (WA); Rep. Mark Souder (IN); Rep. James Talent (MO); Rep. Todd Tiahrt (KS); Rep. J.C. Watts (OK); and Rep. Jerry Weller (IL).
Please let them know how JINSA members feel about their efforts to enforce the terms of the agreements signed by Yasser Arafat on behalf of himself and the Palestinian Authority. No real peace process can be based on anything less than compliance, and it is enormously important to have Congress willing to try to hold Arafat and the PA to their obligations.