Last Update: 02/05/2003 08:20
By Nathan Guttman, Haaretz Correspondent
WASHINGTON - An hour after the road map was officially delivered in the
Middle East, lobbying groups - both for and against the peace plan - sprang
into action. Letters that had long been waiting for President George W. Bush
and his top advisers were sent and the lobbying went into high gear.
Among those trying to
influence the administration are representatives from Israel, including Tourism
Minister Benny Elon, the pro-transfer ideologue in the National Union bloc, who
is due in the U.S. on Friday to campaign against the road map. Elon's arrival
was delayed by the nationwide strike in Israel that kept Ben-Gurion Airport
closed, but he is slated to meet with congressmen and senators to deliver a
very different message from that being officially issued by Jerusalem.
As far as Elon is
concerned, the road map is a "disaster for Israel," an existential
threat to the country's citizenry. He also has lined up a series of meetings
with well-known evangelist preachers who are known for their support for Israel
and their hawkish lines. Given that the right-wing Christian support for Bush
is considered a crucial element for his re-election, Elon's campaign could
prove to be significant in the long run.
No administration
officials will meet Elon, but they will certainly hear his message via the
legislators he meets. An even clearer, though more moderate, message reached
the administration on Thursday, when a letter from Congress to the president
warned Bush not to harm Israel during implementation of the road map.
The letter, initiated
by congressmen Tom Lantos, Roy Blunt, Stenny Hoyner and Henry Hyde, drew 313
signatures from other members of the House, an impressive number by all
accounts. The language of the letter is cautious but clear. The congressmen say
they support the road map and want American intervention in the peace process
on the basis of a two-state solution, but warn the administration not to make
too many demands on Israel before the Palestinians do their part.
"Many are urging you to short circuit this process and to focus on
timelines in achieving the road map benchmarks," they wrote. "We
believe you will not be dissuaded and will focus instead on real
performance." The letter demands that the Palestinians dismantle the
terrorist infrastructure, restructure its security apparatus, and provide more
transparency and responsibility on the part of the PA. At the same time, a
similar letter signed by 88 of 100 senators was sent to Bush.
Although the letters
have no formal status or legislative meaning, the fact that so many
congressmen, from both parties, signed them should make it clear to the
administration that Capitol Hill firmly supports Israel and demands that the
Palestinians fight terror.
That enormous support
can be attributed in part to intensive activity by AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby,
which published a cautious welcome to the road map Thursday. AIPAC says it does
not support throwing out the road map or advancing it regardless of Palestinian
performance.
On the other side of
the political map, there is no less activity, including Israeli involvement. At
least 100 rabbis have signed a Jewish Peace Coalition letter sent to Bush
prodding him to implement the road map and to fill it with more details about
the nature of the final settlement to give Palestinians the incentive to
fulfill its demands. The rabbis base their appeal on a September letter written
to Bush by former Israeli ministers Shlomo Ben-Ami, Amnon Lipkin-Shahak and
Yuli Tamir, urging the president to develop a detailed American peace plan and
press for implementation on both sides.
"The
administration isn't hearing the voices calling for something that is more than
the road map has to offer," said Jerome Segal, head of the coalition.
"They hear only those who oppose it or who are willing to accept it as it
is."
Others in the
organized Jewish community also believe their voices are not being heard. A
group of major Jewish donors, headed by Edgar Bronfman, sent a letter to the
leadership of both houses of congress expressing unreserved support for the
road map.
"We are writing
to express our concern over recent efforts to sidetrack implementation of the
road map," they wrote, without mentioning by name those who are trying to
divert the road map while adding that they oppose any pressure on Israel.
The decision makers
have the entire spectrum of views before them, including the official Israeli
government's view. So far, the administration has responded only to Jerusalem's
official position, but when the plan reaches the stage of negotiations and
pressure, the lobbyists' weight will surely affect the administration's views.