To:
ZOA Executive Directors
ZOA Regional Leaders
Friends of Israel and ZOA Around the U.S.

From:
Morton A. Klein
National President
Zionist Organization of America

This week’s massacre of five American citizens in the Hebrew University cafeteria bombing makes it imperative that we undertake a major effort on behalf of the Koby Mandell Act. Thirty-six Americans have been murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists in Israel since the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993.

The Koby Mandell Act (S. 1377 / H.R. 2098), which was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, would establish a special office, within the Department of Justice, to pursue Palestinian Arab killers Americans and bring them to trial in the United States. And it would assist the victims’ families. (The title of the bill refers to 13 year-old Jacob “Koby” Mandell of Maryland, who was brutally murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists in May 2001.)

What YOU can do to help:

Please urge your Senators and Representatives to become co-sponsors of the Koby Mandell Act:

Call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121, and ask to be connected to the Member of Congress of your choice.

Urge the Congressmember’s staff to become a co-sponsor by contacting Charlie Mathews in the office of Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ), 202-225-6501, or Rob Epplin in the office of Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR), 202-224-3753

IMPORTANT NOTE: The following is the list of co-sponsors as of August 1, 2002. Please focus your attention on Congressmembers who have not yet become co-sponsors:

In the Senate, the lead sponsor is Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) and the co-sponsors are Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Rick Santorum (R-PA), and Bob Smith (R-NH).

In the House of Representatives, the lead sponsors are Representatives Rob Andrews (D-NJ) and Jim Saxton (R-NJ), and the co-sponsors are Ken Bentsen (D-TX), Howard Berman (D-CA), Eric Cantor (R-VA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Barney Frank (D-MA), Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA), Steven Israel (D-NY), Steven LaTourette (R-OH), Frank LoBiando (R-NJ), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Connie Morella (R-MD), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Mike Pence (R-IN), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Edward Schrock (R-VA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Mark Souder (R-IN), Patrick Toomey (R-PA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), and Anthony Weiner (D-NY).

* * *

Talking Points About the Koby Mandell Act

* They are victims of both Arab terror and State Department discrimination — These are the only cases of overseas terrorism against Americans in which the State Department has made no serious effort to bring the killers to justice. Not a single indictment has been brought by the U.S. against any of the Palestinian Arab killers of these 36 Americans … The State Department has never asked the Palestinian Authority to surrender for prosecution any Palestinian Arab suspects in the murders of Americans … The State Department refuses to publicize the names and photos of fugitive Palestinian Arab killers of Americans (even though it publicizes the names and photos of other terrorists who have killed Americans overseas) … Although the State Department offers rewards to capture these killers, it does not publicize the rewards in Palestinian Arab newspapers or cities (as it does in other countries when pursuing fugitive terrorists).

This issue must be taken out of the State Department’s jurisdiction and put in the hands of a special office within the Justice Department.

* This bill will strengthen the fight against terrorism—terrorists must must know that the U.S. is making serious efforts to capture them. This bill will also bring some measure of consolation to American families whose lives have been shattered by terrorism.

* This is a serious problem—over 100 American citizens have been murdered in Palestinian Arab terrorist attacks since 1948, including 36 since the signing of the 1993 Oslo accords—and 24 of those 36 in the Arab violence that began in September 2000.

* A special office is needed to focus on this issue, just as it was necessary, two decades ago, to establish the Office of Special Investigations in the Justice Department to pursue Nazi war criminals.

* The American public and American Jewry strongly support these efforts. A poll by McLaughlin & Associates has found that 67% of Americans believe it is “important” for the administration to bring Palestinian Arab killers of Americans to the U.S. for prosecution. The broad support within the Jewish community is demonstrated by the fact that both the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and AIPAC have publicly endorsed the Koby Mandell Act.