Washington Watch
Trashing The Map
Bush administration officials get a vocal reception from AIPAC.
JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent
A
n angry, energized pro-Israel
lobby this week spoke out
on the impending Mideast
cc
roadmap," and gave a
mixed reception to administration offi-
cials sent to defend it.
More than 2,900 delegates to the
American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC) policy conference
fanned out across Capitol Hill on
Tuesday, urging lawmakers to sign a
congressional letter demanding that the
president focus on several of the princi-
ples outlined in his June 24 speech,
starting with an end to Palestinian ter-
ror and violence.
AIPAC and its congressional backers
also want President George W. Bush to
focus on "real performance" by the
Palestinians and not "timelines in
achieving the roadmap's benchmarks."
But critics say the pro-Israel group
may be undercutting Bush at a time of
national crisis. "In the middle of the
most important act of his presidency,
AIPAC has the gall to organize a letter
which tells him that everything he has
said since June 24 is null and void," said
Stephen P. Cohen, national scholar for
the Israel Policy Forum (IPF), a pro-
peace process group.
"They are trying to preempt the pres-
ident's right to interpret his own words
and to engage in Middle East diploma-
cy." That, he said, will just increase the
likelihood of a U.S.-Israel clash over the
policies of the current government in
Jerusalem.
An AIPAC official countered by say-
ing, "It's not our desire to change the
road map; it's a question of how it's
interpreted. The U.S. and Israel have an
interpretation that we support; there are
others that we don't support."
But M.J. Rosenberg, Washington
director for IPF, said, "The roadmap is a
carefully drafted document that places _
obligations on both sides; the (congres-
sional) letter only calls on the
Palestinians to do things. There is not a
single reference to any obligation for
Israel."
The road map, which the administra-
tion has promised to formally present to
Israel and the Palestinians as soon as the
new Palestinian prime minster is con-
firmed, was a persistent subtheme at the Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "will try to
AIPAC conference. David Satterfield,
kill (the roadmap) like he kills bills in
deputy assistant secretary of state for
Knesset — one amendment, and then
Near Eastern affairs, was pounded by
one more amendment, and so on."
delegates when he defended the plan
But a longtime AIPAC activist said
and spoke hopefully about Abu Mazen,
the group is merely pressing for a "flexi-
the longtime Yasser Arafat associate cho- ble" roadmap that does not give in to
sen for the new prime minister's post.
the anti-Israel bias of the Europeans,
Gary Bauer, the former GOP presi-
who want the plan implemented imme-
dential candidate and now head of a
diately.
conservative advocacy group, received a
strong ovation when he said, "God
AIPAC Roll Call
owned the land; He gave it to the
Jewish people. And neither the U.N. or
As usual, the AIPAC convention was an
Russia or quartets or trios can give away
awesome display of pro-Israel power in
land that doesn't belong to them, but
the nation's capital. Fully half of the
that belongs to you."
Senate and one-third of the House
Natan Sharansky, Israeli minister for
showed up at the conference, with their
Jerusalem and Diaspora affairs, said
names announced at the ritual AIPAC
early versions of the road
roll „call" at the Monday night banquet.
map will "take us back to
Delegates also heard rousing pro-
Oslo." But Secretary of
Israel speeches from all four congres-
State Colin Powell reiter-
sional leaders: Senate Majority Leader
ated the administration's
Bill Frist, R-Tenn., Minority Leader
commitment to the doc-
Tom Daschle, D-S.D., House Speaker
ument and said, "The
Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Minority
roadmap is not an edict,
Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
it is not a treaty. It is a
There were an unusual number of
Secretary
statement of the broad
Defense Department officials at the
Powell
steps we believe Israel
gathering, reflecting heightened interest
and the Palestinians
in U.S.-Israeli military cooperation. The
must take to achieve President Bush's
most daring attendee: the French
vision of hope and the dream that we all ambassador. The least surprising inci-
have for peace."
dent of the evening: he was booed.
Powell was cheered when he demand-
A handful of Democratic presidential
ed an end to Palestinian violence, but
candidates held receptions for the dele-
there were audible hisses and boos when gates. According to several obser-vers,
he turned his focus on Israel, saying that the most attended reception was the
settlement activity is simply inconsis-
one given by Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-
tent with President Bush's two-state
Conn., followed closely by Vermont
vision. As the president has said, As
Gov. Howard Dean, who is waging an
progress is made toward peace, settle-
active campaign for Jewish campaign
ment activity in the occupied territories
money and votes.
must end.'"
AIPAC also announced its next presi-
Powell was introduced by Detroiter
dent: New Yorker Bernice Manocher-
Ed Levy Jr., a former AIPAC national
ian. She will succeed Amy Fried-kin,
president.
AIPAC's first woman president.
National Security Adviser Con-
All was not roses for the huge pro-
doleezza Rice, speaking on Monday to a Israel . group; early in the week, it's Web
session closed to the press, said that
site was hacked, and anti-Israel and
while Israel and the Palestinians can
anti-Semitic messages added.
comment" on the plan, "it is not a
matter of renegotiation."
Syria On Iraq
Members of the peace camp in Israel
came to the conference to fight what
The Bush administration faces some
they said was a growing disconnect
unpleasant choices when it comes to
between American pro-Israel groups
Syria, a country it recently deemed
and Israeli public opinion. Colette
"helpful" in the anti-terror war, but
Avital, a Labor Knesset member, said
which is now helping Saddam Hussein
"
((
"
kill Americans.
At the AIPAC conference, a succes-
sion of administration officials blasted
Syria after new reports that it is provid-
ing arms and fighters to Iraq, and after
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-
Sharaa said, "Syria has a national inter-
est in the expulsion of the invaders from
Iraq."
Secretary of State Colin Powell said,
"Syria faces a critical choice. Syria can
continue direct support for terrorist
groups and the dying regime of Saddam
Hussein, or it can embark on a different
and more hopeful course. Either way,
Syria bears responsibility for its choices
and for the consequences."
But it is far from clear if that tough
talk will produce tough new action. On
Monday, a State Department
spokesman refused to label Syria "hos-
tile" and declined to say what repercus-
sions the increasingly belligerent regime
could face.
"Right now, the administration is still
trying to caution Syria into changing
direction," said Jess Hordes,
Washington director for the Anti-
Defamation League.
"The challenge will
come if this more-gentle
approach doesn't work.
The rhetoric from the
administration will get
tougher if the Syrian
actions continue — but
Rep. Engel
rhetoric alone won't
change matters if the
Syrians don't read us accurately."
The news about Syria came after
months of administration claims that
the Damascus regime has been helpful
in providing intelligence about Al
Qaeda operations-in the region, and
after the administration successfully bot-
tled up congressional legislation threat-
ening sanctions if Syria does not end its
support for terrorism and end its
weapons-of-mass-destruction program.
"I'm delighted that the administration
is finally saying what we knew all along
— that Syria is no friend of the United
States, that it has always been a sponsor
of terrorism," said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-
N.Y., author of the sanctions legislation.
"This is our time of need — and Syria
is showing its true colors."
But Engel said the administration has
not signaled whether it will allow the
sanctions bill to move. Last year, the
White House requested a hold on the
measure, and Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill.,
chair of the House International
Relations Committee, complied.
"Clearly this is a bill that has enough
support to pass Congress," Engel said,
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