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PLEASE ACT NOW: In anticipation of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's impending visit to the US, urge President Bush and Secretary of State Powell to maintain the Administration's focus on a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dear Members and Supporters,

Prime Minister Sharon will soon be coming to the United States to confer with President Bush. In anticipation of this visit, it is crucial that the President hear the voices of American Jews who support a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Prime Minister Sharon is bringing with him a proposal to unilaterally evacuate most of the Gaza Strip settlements and a small number of West Bank settlements. While we believe that this is definitely a step in the right direction, there must come a day when most of the West Bank settlements will also have to be evacuated in order to make the emergence of a viable Palestinian state possible. We must urge the Administration to stay the course established by President Bush in June 2002 in support of negotiations and a two-state solution to the conflict. That is where real security lies for Israel.

Prime Minister Sharon is also bringing with him a proposal to alter the route of the security barrier Israel is building so that it will more closely conform to the 1967 border. According to Ha'aretz, the proposed alteration will reduce the length of the barrier by 60 or so miles, from approximately 430 miles to roughly 370 miles. It is a small but welcome alteration, but the problem still remains: the rest of the barrier deviates very widely from the 1967 borders and creates a de facto annexation of West Bank territory which will include large numbers of Palestinians on the Israeli side of the barrier. A withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is a welcome first step; however, it must be used to get the parties back to the negotiating table, rather than to obscure developments in the West Bank that are making a two-state solution more difficult.

Talking points for a telephone call and a sample letter for faxing can be found below; the contact phone and fax numbers are also provided below. (Please note: due to White House email policy, emailing is currently not effective as a means of communication for action alerts.)

We ask that you circulate this Action Alert as widely as possible - please send it to your family, friends, and colleagues, and repost it to any relevant listservs.

Please let us know that you have responded to this action alert by sending an email to advocacy@btvshalom.org so that we can gauge our impact.

L'Shalom,

Steve Masters and Diane Balser
Chair and Co-Chair of the Advocacy/Public Policy Committee

TALKING POINTS FOR TELEPHONE CALLS: White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111 State Department Bureau of Public Affairs Comment Line: 202-647-6575 You are a Jewish American. You ask President Bush to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Sharon -- prior to and during his visit to the United States - to: re-engage in the Road Map process, working towards a full negotiated settlement with the goal of a two-state solution, change the route of the Security Fence to conform to the 1967 Green Line borders. You believe that this is in the best interests of Israel, in the best interests of peace, and therefore also in the best interests of the United States.

Sample Fax:

President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Fax: 202-456-6218 (Office of Public Liaison) Mr. President: As a Jewish American, I have very much supported your efforts to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the Road Map. I respectfully request that you use the opportunity of the upcoming visit of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon to the United States to insist that Israel re-engage in the Road Map process. While Prime Minister Sharon's proposal to evacuate most of the Gaza settlements and a small number of West Bank settlements is a step in the right direction, peace can only come with a negotiated settlement leading to a two-state solution. For this reason, it is imperative that Israel change the route of the Security Fence to conform to the 1967 Green Line borders of Israel. Your leadership is vitally needed to revive the Road Map. If the opportunity for peace represented by the Road Map is not taken, this will be a tragedy for both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. Sincerely, [SIGN YOUR NAME] cc: Secretary of State Colin Powell U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 Fax: 202-261-8577