WASHINGTON, DC — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) welcomed the statement on October 2nd by President George W. Bush expressing his Administration’s support for Palestinian statehood. Following a meeting with congressional leaders at the White House, the President was quoted as saying that, “The idea of a Palestinian state has always been a part of a vision, so long as the right of Israel to exist is respected.”
The statement is the first official recognition of Palestinian statehood by a Republican Administration. It also signals a clear departure in the Bush Administration’s hands-off policy vis-a-vis the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations.
In a letter to President George W. Bush, ADC President Ziad Asali and Vice-President Khalil E. Jahshan thanked the President for his public support for the creation of a Palestinian state and expressed their hope that this support will be quickly translated into a fair and serious peace initiative that “seeks to reconcile the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people with Israel’s legitimate security needs.” The ADC officials urged President Bush to incorporate an “affirmative character” to the objectives of the international coalition being formed to combat terrorism in the form of a well-planned diplomatic initiative aimed at effecting a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. “Such an endeavor,” according to Asali and Jahshan, “will be universally hailed as the most effective and rational counter-terrorism policy that could be adopted by the United States.”