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Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Letter from CNI to President Bush
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In the past five years President Bush has spent an extraordinary amount of his presidency dealing with the Middle East and the Muslim world. From Afghanistan to Palestine, he has had to deal with the serious issues of terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But President Bush has yet to tackle the root causes of conflict in the region. He has preferred to superficially tackle issues such as democracy and reform while ignoring the larger context, which has led to a rise in instability for the region and failure for American policy.
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October 18, 2005
Dear Mr. President,
The American people applaud your meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, October 20th. It is comforting you have finally realized the importance of solving the conflict and the adverse effects it has had on the region and even on the American people. It is important to realize that the security of Israel does not depend on the actions of its neighbors but on the actions of Israel itself. Israel's aggressive actions and continued occupation of its neighbors is a threat to regional stability and security. You are in a good position to bring security to the state of Israel by making peace with all of its neighbors.
The world has watched you demand an end to settlement expansion. At the same time you have said that it is unrealistic to expect the largest settlements in the West Bank to remain outside of Israel. This undercuts final status negotiations before they begin. Please remember the words of Shimon Peres, “If Israel keeps 10% of the territories, it will keep 100% of the conflict.”
Jerusalem, a city with incredible history, deserves to be a truly international city, as called for in the original United Nations resolutions. Jerusalem must be the capital of both Israel and the future Palestinian state, with some form of international community oversight. We should assert this statement frequently to both parties, because to do otherwise will leave Jerusalem vulnerable to complete annexation into Israel. You have mentioned Jerusalem and now you should take steps to make sure that this most difficult issue is dealt with in final status negotiations with great sensitivity for all three religions.
From your recent discussion with the Palestinian delegation, which reportedly resulted because of what Karen Hughes found heard on her first trip to the area, it would appear that you already recognize some of the contradictions that have been made in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. It would be unfortunate if these contradictions were not dealt with in the current talks, because otherwise it would be very difficult for the U.S. to bring about any negotiations or to help the parties adhere to the Road Map.
What is being witnessed in the Middle East is not a struggle to create two states but a covert action by Israel to create a series of cantons for the Palestinians on the West Bank. We must not be a part of that effort at fragmentation. Any security for the state of Israel or Palestine will depend upon a West Bank that is not only viable economically but has full access to both Jordan and Gaza.
With this critical meeting, it is imperative that you take three simple and important steps. By doing so, you can help rebuild the authority of Abbas and lead two peoples to live together with a historic breakthrough to peace. The first step is the immediate opening of ports in Gaza. Second is the periodic release of at least 1,000 nonviolent Palestinian prisoners a month. Third is an effective American effort to end the expansion of settlements, regardless of what it takes.
The world will be watching your meeting on Thursday, October 20th. The results could lead to peace or to violence – there is no in between.
Sincerely,
Eugene H. Bird
President
Council for the National Interest
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posted by Somebody @ 9:09 PM Permanent Link
 
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