|
From: MElsant@aol.com Date: Fri 19 Apr 2002 Subject: VIPAC NEWS UPDATE! Dear VIPAC member! We should be encouraged by the improved tone of President Bush's recent comments of understanding for Israel's positions. (See article at end of this letter.) This improved tone did not come out of a vacuum but as a result of the domestic pressure from American supporters of Israel like us in VIPAC who used rallies phone calls faxes and email to express their opinions to the White House. This is attested to by the following quote from the April 17 article in the New York Times entitled "Powell Style: Keep Temperature Down" by Todd Purdum: "But one senior official also conceded that the White House was clearly concerned about the effects of the mission on domestic political opinion especially among Jewish voters." We in VIPAC know what the New York Times is afraid to report: that it is not only Jewish voters but Christian friends of Israel too (hundreds of whom are among our most active VIPAC members) who are helping change Bush Administration policy to be more supportive of Israel. That positive change in tone was noted by the Associated Press which reported at 10:30 p.m. Thursday April 18: "President Bush defended the slow pace of Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian cities and said Thursday he understood why Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had laid siege to Yasser Arafat's headquarters...In staking out a newly conciliatory posture toward Israel Bush is reflecting the desires of conservative Republicans and some Democrats who want the Jewish state to be given unfettered authority to crack down on terror...The president seemed to justify Sharon's reluctance to meet U.S. demands...``I do believe Ariel Sharon is a man of peace'' Bush said not offering a similar assessment of Arafat." All of us at VIPAC should take encouragement from what with the good Lord's help we have helped accomplished so far. And that should give us all strength to continue working even harder to help Israel even more in the coming weeks and months. The phone numbers for the White House and the Senate/House switchboard are at the bottom of each VIPAC letter. Please at least once a week take the time to use a VIPAC letter as a "script" for phone calls to the White House as well as to your Senators and Congressman. That is taking our VIPAC email campaign to the next level for greater political impact. It takes some more time and the expense of a phone call but once a week it is something we can all do. And of course don't forget to "cc" the letter you send to the president to your senators and congressman as well. And remember to put your street address under your name at the bottom of your letter since letters from identifiable constituents have more impact. You can get the email addresses for most Senators and Congressmen from our home page at www.vipac.org by clicking on "Govt email addresses." We have helped to accomplish much by working together. Let us all work together a little harder and with G-d's help accomplish even more. Regards Martin Elsant VIPAC Cochairman Bush Says Sharon Keeping Promise to Withdraw Troops April 18 2002 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 10:30 p.m. ET WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush defended the slow pace of Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian cities and said Thursday he understood why Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had laid siege to Yasser Arafat's headquarters. Saving his most pointed remarks for the Palestinian leader Bush said Arafat's condemnation of terrorism must be followed by concrete action. ``We will hold him to account'' the president said. Bush summoned his foreign policy team to the Oval Office for a report from Secretary of State Colin Powell who had returned nine hours earlier from a Middle East mission without securing a cease-fire. Aides said there was no decision on what to do next though CIA Director George Tenet is expected to return to the region soon. In staking out a newly conciliatory posture toward Israel Bush is reflecting the desires of conservative Republicans and some Democrats who want the Jewish state to be given unfettered authority to crack down on terror. Bush has had a difficult time since the crisis began trying to evenly measure his rhetoric without seeming to favor one side over the other or signaling an unexpected shift in policy. In this case White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said the president did not intend to signal to Israelis that he was backing off his demand for an immediate withdrawal. As the president grappled with the decades-old dispute a senior State Department official conceded in testimony to Congress that the Middle East crisis has cost America support in the Arab world. Bush needs Arab leaders to go along with his efforts to oust Iraq's Saddam Hussein and the Middle East crisis has put those plans on hold. ``We are clearly at least temporarily losing some support'' Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told the House Appropriations' foreign operations subcommittee. ``We've got a problem.'' Lawmakers offered a wide range of suggestions to end the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate including a bill by Sens. Mitch McConnell R-Ky. and Dianne Feinstein D-Calif. to impose sanctions on Arafat. Reps. Lois Capps D-Calif. and Jim Leach R-Iowa circulated a letter asking Bush to consider sending former Presidents Bush Carter and Clinton to the region to continue peace efforts. Despite complications with the Arab world and the refusal of Arafat and Sharon to fully comply with his demands Bush declared Powell's mission a success. ``The situation prior to the secretary's arrival was at a boiling point and thanks to his hard work he has laid out not only a vision of hope which is important but has convinced others that these terrorist acts will forever and constantly undermine the capacity for peace'' Bush said. Powell sat nearby. Just outside camera range were National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and Vice President Dick Cheney who is now expected to join Bush at his Texas ranch next week for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. The president seemed to justify Sharon's reluctance to meet U.S. demands even while maintaining pressure on Arafat. Two weeks after telling Israel to withdraw its troops and 12 days after saying the action should come ``without delay'' Bush said he understood why Israeli soldiers were still in Ramallah and Bethlehem. And the president said he accepted Sharon's assurances that Israel will soon pull out of Jenin the refugee camp that a U.N. envoy has called ``horrifying beyond belief'' after Israeli assaults. ``History will show that they've responded'' Bush said of the Israelis. ``And as the prime minister said told me he gave me a timetable and he's met the timetable.'' The president did not say whether the timetable included actions taken in Jenin nor did White House officials say whether Bush had approved of the assaults. Israel completed its withdrawal from Jenin early Friday local time posting forces on the outskirts of the town and allowing residents to search for relatives Israel Radio reported. Bush said Israel has laid siege to Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah because five suspects in last year's assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi are believed to be in a basement inside Arafat's compound. ``I can understand why the prime minister wants them brought to justice'' Bush said. ``They should be brought to justice if they killed a man in cold blood.'' A White House official said U.S. diplomats were trying to mediate for a resolution. That official siding with Israel on one aspect said the suspects were taking refuge in the headquarters rather than being held in custody as Palestinians claim. Bush also expressed hope that the standoff at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem can be resolved. ``I do believe Ariel Sharon is a man of peace'' Bush said not offering a similar assessment of Arafat. He also never repeated his demand for an immediate withdrawal. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-US-Mideast.shtmll?ex=1020187618 &ei=1&en=7e26bda938b95477 --part1_f5.1a8d65d6.29f0f2b5_boundary Content-Type: text/shtmll; charset="US-ASCII" Dear VIPAC member! We should be encouraged by the improved tone of President Bush's recent comments of understanding for Israel's positions. (See article at end of this letter.) This improved tone did not come out of a vacuum but as a result of the domestic pressure from American supporters of Israel like us in VIPAC who used rallies phone calls faxes and email to express their opinions to the White House. This is attested to by the following quote from the April 17 article in the New York Times entitled "Powell Style: Keep Temperature Down" by Todd Purdum: "But one senior official also conceded that the White House was clearly concerned about the effects of the mission on domestic political opinion especially among Jewish voters." We in VIPAC know what the New York Times is afraid to report: that it is not only Jewish voters but Christian friends of Israel too (hundreds of whom are among our most active VIPAC members) who are helping change Bush Administration policy to be more supportive of Israel. That positive change in tone was noted by the Associated Press which reported at 10:30 p.m. Thursday April 18: "President Bush defended the slow pace of Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian cities and said Thursday he understood why Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had laid siege to Yasser Arafat's headquarters...In staking out a newly conciliatory posture toward Israel Bush is reflecting the desires of conservative Republicans and some Democrats who want the Jewish state to be given unfettered authority to crack down on terror...The president seemed to justify Sharon's reluctance to meet U.S. demands...``I do believe Ariel Sharon is a man of peace'' Bush said not offering a similar assessment of Arafat." All of us at VIPAC should take encouragement from what with the good Lord's help we have helped accomplished so far. And that should give us all strength to continue working even harder to help Israel even more in the coming weeks and months. The phone numbers for the White House and the Senate/House switchboard are at the bottom of each VIPAC letter. Please at least once a week take the time to use a VIPAC letter as a "script" for phone calls to the White House as well as to your Senators and Congressman. That is taking our VIPAC email campaign to the next level for greater political impact. It takes some more time and the expense of a phone call but once a week it is something we can all do. And of course don't forget to "cc" the letter you send to the president to your senators and congressman as well. And remember to put your street address under your name at the bottom of your letter since letters from identifiable constituents have more impact. You can get the email addresses for most Senators and Congressmen from our home page at www.vipac.org by clicking on "Govt email addresses." We have helped to accomplish much by working together. Let us all work together a little harder and with G-d's help accomplish even more. Regards Martin Elsant VIPAC Cochairman Bush Says Sharon Keeping Promise to Withdraw Troops April 18 2002 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 10:30 p.m. ET WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush defended the slow pace of Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian cities and said Thursday he understood why Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had laid siege to Yasser Arafat's headquarters. Saving his most pointed remarks for the Palestinian leader Bush said Arafat's condemnation of terrorism must be followed by concrete action. ``We will hold him to account'' the president said. Bush summoned his foreign policy team to the Oval Office for a report from Secretary of State Colin Powell who had returned nine hours earlier from a Middle East mission without securing a cease-fire. Aides said there was no decision on what to do next though CIA Director George Tenet is expected to return to the region soon. In staking out a newly conciliatory posture toward Israel Bush is reflecting the desires of conservative Republicans and some Democrats who want the Jewish state to be given unfettered authority to crack down on terror. Bush has had a difficult time since the crisis began trying to evenly measure his rhetoric without seeming to favor one side over the other or signaling an unexpected shift in policy. In this case White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said the president did not intend to signal to Israelis that he was backing off his demand for an immediate withdrawal. As the president grappled with the decades-old dispute a senior State Department official conceded in testimony to Congress that the Middle East crisis has cost America support in the Arab world. Bush needs Arab leaders to go along with his efforts to oust Iraq's Saddam Hussein and the Middle East crisis has put those plans on hold. ``We are clearly at least temporarily losing some support'' Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told the House Appropriations' foreign operations subcommittee. ``We've got a problem.'' Lawmakers offered a wide range of suggestions to end the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate including a bill by Sens. Mitch McConnell R-Ky. and Dianne Feinstein D-Calif. to impose sanctions on Arafat. Reps. Lois Capps D-Calif. and Jim Leach R-Iowa circulated a letter asking Bush to consider sending former Presidents Bush Carter and Clinton to the region to continue peace efforts. Despite complications with the Arab world and the refusal of Arafat and Sharon to fully comply with his demands Bush declared Powell's mission a success. ``The situation prior to the secretary's arrival was at a boiling point and thanks to his hard work he has laid out not only a vision of hope which is important but has convinced others that these terrorist acts will forever and constantly undermine the capacity for peace'' Bush said. Powell sat nearby. Just outside camera range were National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and Vice President Dick Cheney who is now expected to join Bush at his Texas ranch next week for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. The president seemed to justify Sharon's reluctance to meet U.S. demands even while maintaining pressure on Arafat. Two weeks after telling Israel to withdraw its troops and 12 days after saying the action should come ``without delay'' Bush said he understood why Israeli soldiers were still in Ramallah and Bethlehem. And the president said he accepted Sharon's assurances that Israel will soon pull out of Jenin the refugee camp that a U.N. envoy has called ``horrifying beyond belief'' after Israeli assaults. ``History will show that they've responded'' Bush said of the Israelis. ``And as the prime minister said told me he gave me a timetable and he's met the timetable.'' The president did not say whether the timetable included actions taken in Jenin nor did White House officials say whether Bush had approved of the assaults. Israel completed its withdrawal from Jenin early Friday local time posting forces on the outskirts of the town and allowing residents to search for relatives Israel Radio reported. Bush said Israel has laid siege to Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah because five suspects in last year's assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi are believed to be in a basement inside Arafat's compound. ``I can understand why the prime minister wants them brought to justice'' Bush said. ``They should be brought to justice if they killed a man in cold blood.'' A White House official said U.S. diplomats were trying to mediate for a resolution. That official siding with Israel on one aspect said the suspects were taking refuge in the headquarters rather than being held in custody as Palestinians claim. Bush also expressed hope that the standoff at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem can be resolved. ``I do believe Ariel Sharon is a man of peace'' Bush said not offering a similar assessment of Arafat. He also never repeated his demand for an immediate withdrawal. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-US-Mideast.shtmll?ex=1020187618&ei=1&en=7e26bda938b95477 --part1_f5.1a8d65d6.29f0f2b5_boundary-- |
| View VIPAC Archive | Links | Mailing Instructions |
| Submit Letter Suggestions | Govt. E-mail Addresses | Contact Us |