Brit Tzedek v'Shalom
Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace
Action Alert
Action Alert - Completed 5/20/2003
[POSTED: May 14th, 2003]
DON'T LET SHARON DERAIL THE ROAD MAP
ACTION REQUESTED: Call, fax, or email President Bush and Secretary of State Powell by May 20th urging them to reject all requests for changes in the Road Map by the Israeli government and to strenuously pursue implementation of the Road Map as a parallel process requiring actions by both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government.
Dear Brit Tzedek members and supporters,
On the eve of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon's visit to Washington, we need you to make your voices heard: Ask President Bush and Secretary of State Powell to reject the Sharon government's requests for substantial changes to the Road Map. These proposed changes would fatally affect any chance of the Road Map's success.
We were encouraged that the President released the Road Map as promised when the new Palestinian cabinet was formed, and that he has asked the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority to implement it. However, the Sharon government, with the support of many American Jewish organizations, is dragging its feet and insisting on major revisions to the Road Map, which would place all of the initial burden of implementation on the Palestinian Authority.
Prime Minister Sharon is scheduled to arrive in the United States on May 20th to meet with the President. It is very important that the Bush Administration hears from American Jews that the changes to the Road Map requested by the Sharon government will utterly derail the peace process.
Please contact the President and Secretary of State Powell before May 20, even if you have previously written to them about the Road Map more than once! And if you have not responded to previous action alerts, we ask you to please do so now. WE MUST NOT LET AIPAC AND OTHER SUPPORTERS OF THE SHARON ADMINISTRATION WITHIN THE U.S. JEWISH COMMUNITY SPEAK FOR US BY DEFAULT.
The Middle East peace process is at a pivotal point. With the war in Iraq at a close, building stability in the region requires that the United States focus on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- We call on the Bush administration to resist any requests for changes in the Road Map by the Israeli government.
- We support parallel implementation of the Road Map by the Palestinian Authority AND the Government of Israel, which in its initial phase means respectively the renunciation of terror and the implementation of a concerted program to end terror attacks, and the freezing of all settlement activity and the easing of the closures on Palestinian population centers.
- We ask the Bush administration to bring all pressure to bear to achieve timely progress on implementation of the Road Map.
Talking points for a telephone call and a sample letter for faxing or emailing can be found below. [click here]
We also ask you to circulate this Action Alert as widely as possible--please send it to your family, friends, and colleagues, and please repost it to any relevant listservs.
It is important that you let us know that you have responded to this action alert by sending us an email at advocacy@btvshalom.org, so that we can gauge the impact of our action alerts.
L'Shalom,
Diane Balser and Steve Masters
Chair and Co-Chair of the Advocacy/Public Policy Committee
Background
The text of the Road Map can be found at:
http://www.state.gov/
Additional resources on the Road Map can be found on the Brit Tzedek v'Shalom website:
Road Map Resources
Suggested Talking Points for Phone Call
White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111
State Department Bureau of Public Affairs Comment Line: 202-647-6575
- You are a Jewish American.
- You supported President Bush's promise to release the Road Map upon formation of the Palestinian Cabinet, and urge him to stay the course and not bend to Israeli government pressure to change this plan.
- The initial steps in the Road Map must be taken SIMULTANEOUSLY by the Palestinian Authority and Israel, respectively the 100% effort to prevent terror and the freezing of all settlement activity.
Sample Fax/Email Message (faxing is the most effective)
Below is a brief sample message you can send; feel free and encouraged to personalize it.
| Subject [for e-mails]: No Changes to the Road Map | |
| President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 president@whitehouse.gov Fax: 202-456-2461 |
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Mr. President: As a Jewish American, I believe that immediate implementation of the Road Map is a crucial step toward achieving a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is also an essential component in maintaining a stable Middle East in the aftermath of the war in Iraq. I ask that you show leadership in not bending to pressure from the Israeli government--and its advocates in the United States--to introduce changes to the Road Map. Such changes will obstruct movement toward peace. I also respectfully request that in the implementation of the Road Map, all influence be brought to bear on both parties--both the Palestinian Authority and the government of Israel--to swiftly and simultaneously move ahead with the necessary first steps of this Road Map, which are respectively immediate implementation of effective measures to end terror attacks and the immediate freezing of all settlement activity. A peaceful solution to the crisis in the Middle East is crucial not only to the well-being of Israelis and Palestinians, but also ultimately to the United States and the whole world, now more than ever. Insisting on both parties' immediate implementation of the Road Map, in its present form, will be a major step towards peace. 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 |
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Sending an email message to Secretary of State Colin Powell:
Emails to Secretary of State Powell must be sent by pasting them into the response page of the State Department website. They cannot be sent directly from your email program. To send him an email message, go to:
http://contact-us.state.gov/
Then click on "Send a Message to the Secretary of State" near the bottom of the page. Although many people reported successfully sending messages to the Secretary of State via this web form, some have reported problems using it. In the latter case, we encourage you to send a fax.