NEW YORK- The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) agrees with President Bush’s statement that there must be a “complete dismantlement” of Hamas and other Palestinian Arab terrorist organizations. The question is: will the Bush administration take concrete steps to compel the Palestinian Authority to dismantle the terrorist groups?

In a press conference with European Union leaders on June 25, President Bush said: “The true test for Hamas and terrorist organizations is the complete dismantlement of their terrorist networks, their capacity to blow up the peace process … in order for there to be peace in the Middle East, we must see organizations such as Hamas dismantled, and then we’ll have peace, we’ll have a chance for peace.” (Associated Press, June 25, 2002)

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein noted that Bush has previously called for the “dismantling” of the terrorist organizations —both in his June 2002 speech and in the Road Map that he issued eight weeks ago— yet he has not taken action to pressure the Palestinian Authority to dismantle them.

The Zionist Organization of America, founded in 1897, is the oldest pro-Israel organization in the United States. The ZOA works to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations, educates the American public and Congress about the dangers that Israel faces, and combats anti-Israel bias in the media and on college campuses. Its past presidents have included Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis and Rabbi Dr. Abba Hillel Silver.