`Worse Than Oslo'
ZOA president sees little benefit in road map.
HARRY KIRSBAUM
StaffWriter
should be demanding the arrest of more terrorists
instead of releasing them."
Klein took offense at the announcement this week
of an additional $75 million in U.S. aid to the
Palestinians.
"Do you reward three years of terrorism with the
ultimate concession — a state?" he asked angrily. "It
sends a message to terrorists: Keep killing people and
you'll get a wonderful concession."
He called Syria, Iran, Libya and North Korea sover-
eign states, but referred to them as "monstrous, evil
dictatorships and barbaric regimes. Does anyone think
that this [Palestinian] regime will be a peaceful democ-
racy?"
Morton Klein had his way, tanks would roll
across the road map to peace.
The Zionist Organization of America national
resident called the road map "worse than Oslo"
during a visit to the Detroit area.
"In the first 30 days, Israel must publicly endorse a
Palestinian state and must publicly say they will end
violence to the Palestinians," Klein told a crowd of
about 200 during the ZOA Einstein Luncheon at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek on May 12. Israel "can't
deport terrorists, can't demolish their homes and must
go back to the Sept. 28, 2000, [Green] line."
With no mention of Palestinian concessions in the
road map, such as demilitarizing or normalizing rela-
tions with Israel, Klein asked, -"Why are we rewarding
terrorism? What's wrong with us?
"This is the first 30 days of this 'brilliant' plan
designed by the European Union, United Nations,
Russia and the United States — three out of the four
are terrible enemies of the State of Israel and almost
anti-Semitic," he said.
Klein cited the release of 163 terrorists from Israeli
prisons as a double standard.
"They say we're only going to release accomplices,
not the ones who pulled the trigger, even though'in
America, accomplices are as guilty as the triggerman,"
he said. In America, "if you drive the getaway car,
- ZOA's Morton Klein
you're as guilty as the one who robbed the bank. We
'
Klein said a Palestinian state may threaten Israel in a
much more serious way by bringing in heavy weapons
and troops from Syria, Iran or Libya.
While Arabs can live freely in Israel, the same thing
cannot be said for the 200,000 Jews who live in the
territories among 2 million Arabs, he said.
"The thinking is that if there's going to be a
[Palestinian] state, the Jews will be killed," he said. "If
that's the case, why are we setting up a state that's so
barbaric that they'll kill their non-Muslim citizens?
"We got rid of one terrorist state, Iraq. I don't think
it's so good to have another terrorist state called
Palestine."
Klein also said Pale-stinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) was not elected, but
appointed by Palestinian Authority President Yasser
Arafat.
He also said Abbas was a co-founder of the terrorist
group, Fatah, and a vicious Holocaust denier. "The
man wrote his thesis at Moscow Oriental University, a
communist institution, and said the Holocaust never
occurred," Klein said.
"Abbas named a square in Jenin for a suicide
bomber who murdered five Americans in Iraq. He
may say he's against terrorism, but he doesn't consider
members of Hamas or Hezbollah as terrorists. He con-
siders them freedom fighters."
Klein said negotiations with the Palestinians must
end.
"Negotiations didn't work with Germany in the
`30s, didn't work with Saddam in the '90s, didn't work
with Arafat and the P.A. today," he said. "We should
be allowing Israel to do what we do or any other
country to do: military action against this regime."
"Diplomacy has almost never ended conflicts
throughout history," he said. "The conflict ends when
a war occurs, and the winner imposes positions on the
loser, and that's what's called peace." ❑
Mission Shabbat
Local synagogues to promote Israel trip at services this weekend.
SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
StaffWriter
A
corps of guest speakers will stand before
congregants in synagogues throughout
metro Detroit this Shabbat sharing the
same message: Go to Israel.
The plan to devote May 16-17 to promoting
Federation's Michigan Miracle Mission 4 next April
came about when leadership from the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit approached
members of the Michigan Board of Rabbis about
the April 18-28, 2004, trip.
"We decided together that since congregations
have already been a part of the centerpiece of the
past three Federation missions, working together
would formalize that," said Rabbi Paul Yedwab,
president of the multi-stream Board of Rabbis.
Nearly 20 congregations — including
Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, Independent,
Reform-Renewal and Secular
Humanistic — will be participat-
ing in the Shabbat program.
In addition to its members offer-
ing their bimahs for mission lead-
ership to speak, the Michigan
Board of Rabbis will also, for the
first time, become co-sponsors of
the trip, along with the Jewish
News. -
Rabbi Yedwab
Mission co-chairs are Dr.
Richard Krugel and Peter Alter.
Associate chairs are Scott Kaufman, Lisa Lis, Beverly
Liss and John Marx. Jane F. Sherman is honorary
chair, with Doreen Hermelin, Lawrence Jackier,
Ron Klein and Ben Rosenthal serving as the adviso-
ry council.
Federation's Michigan Miracle Mission 4 will
provide direct travel on chartered El-Al planes
between Detroit and Tel Aviv. It will include six
nights in Jerusalem and two nights in Michigan's
Partnership 2000 region in the Central Galilee,
with special programming for repeat visitors to
Israel and a host of volunteer opportunities to aid
the Jewish state and assist Israelis.
Mission goers will have a chance to prep for the
trip through orientation sessions, education meet-
ings and conversational Hebrew lessons.
Dates for the Mission were chosen to coincide
with Yom HaZikaron (Israel's Day of
MISSION on page 19
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5/16
2003
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