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Bombing Shakes Faith in "Road Map"

(JTA) - Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said the Bush administration needs to be more forceful in its call for the Palestinian Authority to dismantle terrorist groups immediately. "The administration has to get its message out," Hoenlein said. "There have to be serious consequences." He suggested withholding aid or reconsidering U.S. support for a Palestinian state. Hoenlein and others are concerned that PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas shows either no ability or no interest in dismantling groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Sources said that, privately, the White House shares those concerns. In a press release, the Conference of Presidents said that Abbas should either "declare war against Palestinian terrorist groups" or "declare the road map and the prospect for peace to be dead." It called on the Quartet to "move decisively" to pressure the Palestinians and raise pressure on Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Syria to cut their links to terrorist groups. In an obvious sign of the administration's frustration, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Israel had a right to defend itself against terrorist attacks, a marked contrast to the frequent call for Israeli restraint.
2003-08-21 00:00:00
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