AGAINST THE BASIC VALUES OF ALL DECENT PEOPLES:
CBD Director Urges US President to Adopt a Clear and Even-handed American Stance
CBD director, Dr. Louay Safi, urged President Bush, in a letter sent on April 20, to take a clear stance against Israeli aggression and to adopt an even-handed policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Below is the text of CBD letter to President Bush:
Friday, April
20, 2001
President George W. Bush
White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I am
writing to you to express my deep concerns for the unacceptable degree of repression and
outright cruelty inflicted on the Palestinian people by the state of Israel.
Bombardments
of defenseless civilians, demolition of homes, blockades of villages, destruction of
farms, confiscation of land, and indiscriminate killing of unarmed civilians go against
the basic values of all decent peoples. It is quite disturbing to note that Israel uses US
weapons to inflict and perpetuate these appalling conditions on the Palestinians.
We have
seen recently how receptive the Israelis are to any firm position taken by the American
government. The US is the only government that has the capacity to put an end to Israeli
excesses and lift the nightmare of Israeli occupation off the Palestinian people.
I, therefore, urge you to use your good office to
demand that Israel lift its blockades off the Palestinian towns and villages, cease its
home-demolition and settlement-expansion policies, and withdraw its tanks and soldiers
from Palestinian territories.
The whole
world has condemned the apartheid-like conditions created in the West Bank and Gaza. The
actions of Israel drew strong criticism and condemnation from every human rights
organization of note, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, and the UN Security Council. The US government should
follow suit and makes it clear to the Israeli leaders that occupation and oppression go
against American values and ethos.
The US
should insist that Israel respect the human rights of the Palestinians and abide by the
rules of International Law, including UN Resolutions 242 and 338. Only a clear and
even-handed American stance can put an end to the spiral of violence in the Middle East,
and free over three million Palestinians from decades of unsparing occupation.
Sincerely,
(Signed)
Director
Center for Balanced Development
