September 9,
2002
A Letter to President George W. Bush
Dear Mr.
President,
The broad outlines of a
solution that will end the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, open the door to a
resolution of the Israeli-Arab Conflict, and bring normalization with the
Arab world are clear:
-
Two states, one Jewish and one
Palestinian.
-
Withdrawal from territories
occupied in 1967 with border adjustments and territorial swaps.
-
Sharing sovereignty in
Jerusalem following the formula, “What is Jewish will be Israeli, what is
Arab will be Palestinian.”
-
A solution to the problem of
Palestinian refugees that is based on compensation, rehabilitation and
resettlement. There will be no specific right of return to the State of
Israel.
-
Special arrangements to ensure
Israeli security.
-
An announced and enforced end
to the conflict, including all forms of terrorism and violence.
While there is unprecedented
worldwide support for a solution along these lines, today there is virtually
no likelihood that such a solution can be achieved through bilateral
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Some have concluded from
this that the conflict cannot be resolved and thus it would be wise for the
United States to not engage too deeply in such efforts.
We urge you to reach a very
different conclusion. What is necessary is for the United States to move
beyond its traditional role as a sponsor and mediator for bilateral
negotiations. Today, the United States must lead the international
community, with the support of moderate Arab states, to develop in detail a
solution along the lines outlined above, and to vigorously encourage both
sides to accept it.
Within the Israeli
public there is solid support for this approach. For instance, in a recent
poll conducted by the Steinmetz Center of Tel Aviv University, some 67% of
Israeli Jews support an active American effort to formulate a detailed peace
agreement for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They want the United States
to then recruit international support in an effort to convince the parties
to accept this agreement.
If both peoples can be presented
with a detailed final status agreement which would end the conflict and meet
their most basic needs, it is highly likely that the two peoples will say
“Yes” and will compel their leaders to do likewise. Such an approach can
occur only with your leadership. We appeal to you to move in this direction.
