Road map
Reader comment on item: [The Road Map:] Learning from Oslo

Submitted by Michael Licht (United States), Jun 10, 2003 at 21:51

June 10, 2003 9:50PM

Regarding your article and todays events following is a letter I sent to President Bush:

Mr. George Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington DC

Dear Mr. President,

Of all the hypocritical statements ever made by a US President. To say that you are deeply concerned that the attack on the Hamas terrorist Rantisi might undermine Palestinian ability to fight terrorism would be laughable if not for the fact that the Palestinians have no will to fight terrorism. Hamas has always stated its goal as the destruction of the state of Israel and the expulsion of all Jews from the area (by the way if you read Arafat’s statements in the Arabic press he says the same thing). Additionally Hamas launched attacks that killed 5 Israelis yesterday and we heard no lamentations from you regarding how that act might undermine the Israeli ability to make peace.

Where is your much touted common sense? Where is your sense of decency? Where is the war on terrorism? How on earth can you expect Israel to negotiate under the guns and bomb of terrorists? If we had the chance to shoot a missile through Bin Laden’s window we would do it! Why should the Israelis have a different standard for protecting themselves? There were two regrettable outcomes from the strike against Rantisi: First, they missed; Second, the attack gives the Palestinian propaganda machine fodder to spew about their peaceful intentions being shattered by Israeli aggression.

There is no way the so called "Road Map" should be implemented until the Palestinians truly renounce violence and incitement. There is no way Israel should withdraw from the disputed territories until the violence stops.

Yours truly,

Michael Licht
Mint Hill, NC

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