March 1, 2000

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the largest mainstream Orthodox Jewish organization with nearly 1,000 synagogues nationwide, today urged the Administration to implement measures adopted recently by Congress that would reaffirm and ensure our nation’s commitment to bringing Palestinian terrorists to justice. We welcome the Duker and Eisenfeld families who have lost family members to attacks by Palestinian terrorists and offer them our deepest condolences. They join us today in support of these important measures that were introduced and passed in the United States Congress by Senator John Ashcroft (R-MO) and Representative Matt Salmon (R-AZ).

At least twelve American citizens have been killed in terrorist attacks in Israel since 1993. In violation of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority has provided the suspects implicated in these terrorist attacks with refuge and has not taken acceptable measures in the detention of these suspects. We believe that American assistance should be conditioned on full cooperation by the Palestinian Authority in combating terrorism, prosecuting terrorists involved in the murder of U.S. citizens, and in ceasing the incitement to violence against Israel that official bodies of the Palestinian Authority are engaged in. We call on the Administration to implement the legislation passed by Congress requiring greater disclosure by the State Department on terrorist groups that target Israel and Americans, requiring the Administration to report to Congress on the steps they have taken to make sure that these terrorists are brought to justice. The information required by the report includes information on the status of each investigation, including information on the detention of terrorist suspects.

The Orthodox Union applauds the outstanding efforts of Senator John Ashcroft (R-MO), Representative Matt Salmon (R-AZ) and all the other elected officials who have made sure that justice will be served against those who have caused the deaths of U.S. citizens by terrorist attacks. The U.S. Congress deserves much praise for this important step in the battle against terrorism. We reiterate our call to the Administration to implement these measures in the effort to safeguard the security of American citizens around the world.

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