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March 14, 2003
Union Of Orthodox Jewish Congregations Comments Upon
President Bush’s Statement On Mideast Peace;
“We Welcome The President’s Continued
Call For Real Palestinian Reform And Renunciation Of Terror”;
We Have “Grave Concerns” About The Road Map Process
Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of
America – the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization -
released the following comments upon this morning’s Rose Garden statement
by President Bush regarding Mideast peace:
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America appreciates
President Bush’s ongoing commitment to achieving security and peace for
the citizens of the Middle East. We welcome the President’s continued call
for real Palestinian reform and renunciation of terror. Once again, the
onus is upon the Palestinian leadership to end the violence and set the
region on a different course. We are confident that concrete steps and
results on the part of the Palestinians in this direction will be met in
kind by the State of Israel.
While we recognize that the “road map” is intended to be a formula to
ensure that only concrete steps by the Palestinians can yield renewed
engagement by Israel and the support of the United States, the Union of
Orthodox Jewish Congregations has grave concerns with regard to its
development and implementation, and we have communicated these concerns to
President Bush. Chief among them, is our profound concern over the road
map’s “architects.” As we recently wrote to the President:
We are now all too painfully aware…of the willingness of many
international parties – including those who comprise the rest of the
Quartet – to countenance violations of written agreements in order to
avoid confrontation. For the past [several] weeks, we have watched the
peace and security of the United States…put at risk by…a [U.N.] Security
Council unwilling to declare breaches of agreements where they obviously
exist. One must seriously question whether these same parties can or will
act any differently when it comes to…the Road Map’s…enforcement.
The UOJCA will continue its efforts in support of a true and lasting
Mideast peace in the days to come.
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