25 November 1997

President William J. Clinton
The White House
Wahington, DC
USA

Dear Mr. President,

Violence is an integral part of militant Islamic ideology. The threat they pose today to Israel, they will pose to you tomorrow. To appease them by bringing Israel to her knees cannot but recall the situation faced by Czechoslovakia in 1938 and its consequences.

Part of the problem is that the media and Israel's former leaders, such as Shimon Peres, upon whom you have grown to depend, share views far removed from reality and totally different from the thinking of the majority of Israelis. Permit us to illustrate:

  1. The majority of Jews in Israel voted to reject the former government's policies. PM Netanyahu is fulfilling his mandate by holding back and demanding proof of goodwill from the Arab side.
  2. It is evident that goodwill is lacking on their part and had been absent also during the previous government's tenure. The Arabs murdered over 200 civilians and left several hundred wounded, while the peace process was in progress under the late PM Rabin and former PM Peres. Was this violence the work of a renegade Hamas and opposed by the PLO, as they would have us believe? Apparently not.
  3. Yassir Arafat is preaching violence and hatred to his people, not peace and conciliation. He has declared publicly that those who sacrifice themselves to kill Jews are martyrs. Hatred of Israel is taught in Palestinian schools, from the first grade.
  4. As for construction in the territories, the Arabs have since Oslo built 19,000 illegal residences, particularly in the Jerusalem region.
  5. Faced with this reality and keenly aware that the width of Israel from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean is only 50 miles, do you think that Israel can survive if in the middle of our tiny country an independent country is created, dedicated to our destruction? Would you allow it in the heart of the United States?

May we suggest a way out?

Make public Arafat's speeches to his people and the lessons taught to schoolchildren regarding the conflict with Israel. That will show the world why we in Israel feel the way we do. It will reveal to all the character and intentions of our "peace partners." You can take umbrage at these revelations and throw the ball back into the court of the two principals involved. Thereafter, let us in Israel deal with the situation without outside "help."