Mr. President, the U.S. government must insist, to allies and enemies alike, that Israel reserves the national and sovereign right to defeat the terrorists, who have used all concessions to coordinate further nefarious work from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade and every other terror group west of the Jordan River.
If not substantially amended, the Road Map will cost our nation and our best Middle East ally a steep price. Please, abort the Road Map, which rewards terrorists and endangers Israel, the United States and free peoples everywhere.
Sincerely yours,
Alyssa A. Lappen
Below is the full text of the proposed agreement between Hamas and the Palestine National Authority as it was published in the Egyptian Al-Ahram Weekly on September 20, 1995.6
Paragraph (3) falsely interprets Oslo 2's prohibitions (in Article XV paragraph 1) against all aggression, and grants Hamas license to operate in areas not under PA jurisdiction.
Paragraph (12) calls for the PA to stop taking preventive security measures.
The following is the complete text:
"IN THE NAME OF GOD THE MERCIFUL AND THE COMPASSIONATE
Having placed our trust in God; believing in the right of our Palestinian people to a life of freedom and dignity; asserting the national unity of our Palestinian people, and seeking to realize their just objectives in establishing their independent State of Palestine with its capital in Jerusalem; seeking to consolidate the foundations of democracy by Shura in our homeland on the basis of political pluralism, freedom of opinion, creed and human rights, under the rule of law and in observance of justice in view of our commitment to the vital interests of our people; in recognition of the national and historical responsibility which we all have a share in bearing; emanating from our profound faith in the principles of joint cooperation; aware of the grave dangers which threaten our people at the present stage; wishing to consolidate positive relations between all forces and agents, leaders of Fatah and members of the National Palestinian Authority have concluded, under the sponsorship of Chairman Yasser Arafat and His Eminence Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the present agreement, the result of good offices provided during the previous period and acknowledged with profound appreciation;
(1) To assert the unity and solidarity of the Palestinian people, their right to self determination and to establish an independent state with its capital in Jerusalem (Al-Quds Al-Sharif);
(2) To shun internal strife, adopt democratic means of dialogue in seeking realistic solutions which safeguard the interests of the people, realizing their objectives, and become united behind major issues of concern to the homeland, such as the issue of Jerusalem, the Palestinian detainees, the settlements, etc.;
(3) To respect the commitments of the Palestinian Liberation Organization ensuing from the agreements signed with the Israeli government which require the cessation of all military operations in, or launched from, the areas under the Palestinian National Authority, or publicizing views through peaceful means and democratic ways, without resort to defamation or offense;
(4) To emphasize the need to build the institutions of the Palestinian civil society, to separate the mandates of the respective authorities and to consolidate the rule of law;
(5) To accelerate the enactment of legislation establishing political parties in order to lay the foundations of political pluralism and to strengthen the principle of equality between all citizens;
(6) To recognize the right of brothers in Hamas to participate in the institutions of the Palestinian National Authority at all levels, on the basis of efficiency drawing on the fact that the Palestinian National Authority is the authority of the Palestinian people regardless of political and ideological leanings, or organizational affiliations;
(7) To assert the right to assemble and commemorate national or Islamic events after obtaining due permission from the concerned authorities within the Palestinian National Authority;
(8) To assert the right of citizens to own personal weapons provided the ownership or acquisition of such weapons be duly licensed by the concerned authorities within the Palestinian National Authority; however, the possession or carrying of explosives shall be banned on the grounds of the threat to the safety of citizens;
(9) To emphasize that the function of the units of local government is to provide services and as such are independent administrative units, composed of representatives directly elected, and such units should be run in accordance with local government law;
(10) To emphasize the principle of a free economy;
(11) The Palestinian National Authority is responsible for the protection of individuals who performed their duties during the years of struggle, from any faction or group, drawing from the principle that the Palestinian National Authority is responsible for securing the safety of all citizens;
(12) To create a suitable and tranquil atmosphere it was decided to take measures to enhance safety, confidence, cooperation and love between the citizens of the one nation, thus embodying national unity and consolidating it. This requires the cessation of the publication of provocative statements, inciting rhetoric which undermines national unity, and averting from defamatory and slanderous speeches, statements or posters. All organs of the mass media should be channelled to consolidate national unity. On the other hand, measures taken by the security forces for preventive purposes must be stopped, in order to build up confidence between all;
(13) To respect the sanctity of mosques and places of worship, and avert actions which violate the sanctity of such places, or their use for purposes other those for which they were intended;
(14) To establish an appropriate consultative framework to give advice and consultations to the Palestinian National Authority to realize the interests of the people and serve the national good;
(15) To establish a permanent coordinating committee consisting of the two parties "Fatah and Hamas" to consider all issues which surface or are bought before it by any party with the view to finding appropriate solutions which serve the public interest of Palestinians.
(16) This agreement shall take effect at the date of its signing. It shall be declared the means agreed upon and duly deposited with the minister of justice."
1. Farouq Al-Qaddoumi, head of the PLO political bureau and secretary general of Fatah's Central Committee, in an interview with the Arab-Israeli weekly Kul Al-Arab, January 3, 2003. He expresses support for attacks inside Israel and recommends pressuring Europe with oil hikes. He says there's no difference between the ideology and strategies of Fatah and Hamas. Excerpts from the interview translated into English are in http://www.memri.org, #462, Jan 28, 2003.
2. The movie of this is available at http://www.isratv.com/video/nablus56k.asx.
3. See http://www.dhimmitude.org for a list of books and articles by Bat Ye'or.
4. The text of Fredrick P. Isaacs' book, Indigenous Peoples Under The Rule Of Islam, can be read at http://www.atour.com/religion/docs/20010803a.html.
5. Raphael Israeli, Islamikaze: Manifestations of Islamic Martyrology, Frank Cass & Co, August 2003.
6. Text provided by Dr. Aaron Lerner, of Independent Media Review and Analysis (http://www.imra.org.il), POB 982, Kfar Sava, Israel.
Alyssa A. Lappen is a freelance journalist and prize-winning poet. Her work has appeared recently in such journals as Midstream, FrontPageMagazine.com and Campus-Watch.org and in many others over the last two decades. This article first appeared in Front Page Magazine (http://www.frontpagemag.com). The original hyperlinks are shown as notes.
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