|
February 28, 2002
To: Officers, Rabbis, Key Contacts
From: Richard B. Stone, Chairman
Betty Ehrenberg, Director, International
and Communal Affairs
RE: Adding Fatah Terror Groups to the State Department Terror Lists
Israeli citizens have been attacked daily during the past 17 months by terrorist groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad. Some of the most brutal attacks have been carried out by Palestinian Authority Yassir Arafat’s own security groups including the Tanzim, Force 17 (Arafat’s Presidential Security Guards), and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.
The
IPA/OU applauded the State Department’s inclusion of Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the U.S. list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), however, the above-mentioned Fatah-based organizations have not been placed on that list, even though the State Department has identified them as being responsible for a significant percentage of the 11,000 terrorist attacks that have been committed against Israeli and American citizens.
Among the attacks these Fatah-connected groups have claimed responsibility for are the shooting attack against the Bat Mitzvah reception and shootings and bombings in downtown Jerusalem.
A letter is being circulated in the House of Representatives by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) that calls on President Bush to add the PLO’s Tanzim, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade as well as Arafat’s personal bodyguards, Force 17, to the U.S. list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This would freeze the assets of these terror organizations in the United States, bar their members from entering the U.S. and prohibit them from fundraising or recruiting on American soil. This designation would underscore the United States’ commitment to fighting terror and would reaffirm Israel’s stance that peace cannot be negotiated under fire. The United States must demand that the PA fulfill its commitments to fight terror and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure or else risk its relationship with America.
URGENT ACTION NEEDED
Call your Representative now and urge them to sign on to the Waxman/ Ros-Lehtinen letter if they are not listed below. If your Member of Congress is listed below, please call to thank them. All Representatives can be reached by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121. Ask for the office of your
Representative.
As of Feb. 27, 2002, 138 House members have signed the Waxman/Ros-Lehtinen letter to the President:
Waxman (D-CA), Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ackerman (D-NY), Andrews (D-NJ), Bachus (R-AL), Baird (D-WA), Baker
(R-LA), Bentsen (D-TX), Berkley (D-NV), Berman (D-CA), Blagojevich (D-IL), Blunt (R-MO), Borski (D-PA), Boswell (D-IA), Burton (R-IN), Cantor (R-VA), Cardin (D-MD), Carson (D-OK), Costello (D-IL), Cramer (D-AL), Crenshaw (R-FL), Crowley (D-NY), Davis (D-IL), Davis (D-FL), Davis (D-CA), DeGette (D-CO), DeLauro (D-CT), Deutsch (D-FL), Diaz-Balart
(R-FL), Dooley (D-CA), Doolittle (R-CA), Doyle (D-PA), Dunn (R-WA), Edwards (D-TX), Engel (D-NY), English (R-PA), Eshoo (D-CA), Evans (D-IL), Ferguson (R-NJ), Filner (D-CA), Fletcher (R-KY), Forbes (R-VA), Frank (D-MA), Frost (D-TX), Ganske (R-IA), Gephardt (D-MO), Gilman (R-NY), Gordon
(D-TN), Green (D-TX), Grucci (R-NY), Gutierrez (D-IL), Harman (D-CA), Hart (R-PA), Hastings (D-FL), Hayes (R-NC), Hayworth (R-AZ), Hoeffel (D-PA), Holden (D-PA), Holt (D-NJ), Honda (D-CA), Hooley (D-OR), Horn (R-CA), Hoyer (D-MD), Israel (D-NY), Johnson (R-IL), Keller (R-FL), Kelly (R-NY), Kennedy (R-MN), Kennedy (D-RI), King (R-NY), Kirk (R-IL), Langevin (D-RI), Lantos (D-CA), Larsen (D-WA), Leach (R-IA), Levin (D-MI), Lipinski (D-IL), LoBiondo (R-NJ), Lowey (D-NY), Maloney (D-NY), Manzullo (R-IL), Markey (D-MA), Matsui (D-CA), McCarthy (D-NY), McCollum (D-MN), McCrery (R-LA), McNulty (D-NY), Meek (D-FL), Morella (R-MD), Nadler (D-NY), Neal (D-MA), Northup (R-KY), Nussle (R-IA), Ose (R-CA), Otter (R-ID), Owens (D-NY), Pallone (D-NJ), Pascrell (D-NJ), Pence (R-IN), Pickering (R-MS), Pitts (R-PA), Putnam (R-FL), Ramstad (R-MN), Rodriguez (D-TX), Roemer (D-IN), Rothman (D-NJ), Roukema (R-NJ), Saxton (R-NJ), Schakowsky (D-IL), Schiff (D-CA), Schrock (R-VA), Sessions (R-TX), Shaw (R-FL), Shays (R-CT), Sherman (D-CA), Shimkus (R-IL), Shows (D-MS), Simpson (R-ID), Slaughter (D-NY), Smith (D-WA), Smith (R-NJ), Strickland (D-OH), Stump (R-AZ), Stupak (D-MI), Tiberi (R-OH), Turner (D-TX), Visclosky (D-IN), Wamp (R-TN), Watts (R-OK), Weiner (D-NY), Weldon (R-PA), Weldon (R-FL), Weller (R-IL), Wexler (D-FL), Wolf (R-VA), Woolsey (D-CA), Wu (D-OR), Young (R-AK)
|
