Washington, DC — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) wrote to President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell to express its extreme concern over Israel’s outright defiance of the Bush Administration’s strong appeal in recent days for an immediate military pullout from Palestinian territories and its continued pursuit of its destructive and illegal campaign of aggression against the Palestinians.
ADC President Ziad Asali and Vice President Khalil E. Jahshan emphasized to President Bush and Secretary Powell that the six-day campaign by the Sharon government has resulted in dozens of civilian deaths and hundreds of injuries. They specifically referred to Israeli military actions at Beit Rima, particularly preventing ambulances and paramedics from rescuing the wounded, as “nothing short of cold-blooded murder.”
Asali and Jahshan told Messrs. Bush and Powell that “The Israeli government cannot and should not be allowed to proceed with its campaign of wanton murder and destruction with total impunity.” They insisted that “The Administration’s repeated appeals for an immediate Israeli withdrawal must be fully honored to protect the credibility of the United States, particularly at this difficult time when our vital interests in the region are literally at stake.”
The ADC officers urged the Administration to cooperate with the international community to extend adequate protection to the civilian population in Palestine and “to impress upon Mr. Sharon and his government to immediately withdraw from all Palestinian-ruled areas re-occupied during the past week and return to the negotiating table to pursue real security through reaching a comprehensive, just and lasting peace with the Palestinians and other Arab neighbors.”