Road Map Countdown:
Five Months to a PA State

NEW YORK – Contrary to media reports that the Bush Road Map proposes to create a Palestinian Arab state in the year 2005, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) points out that the plan, in fact, calls for establishing such a state within five months, by the end of this year.

“Phase II” of the Road Map plan, which is defined as ending in December 2003, includes “creation of an independent Palestinian state with provisional borders”. Those “provisional” borders are to become “final, permanent” borders in Phase III of the plan, which is defined as ending in 2005.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said: “Many media reports have erroneously stated that the Bush plan is to create a Palestinian Arab state in 2005. This has lulled some people into a false sense of security, thinking that there will be two more years in which Palestinian Arab actions can be assessed before the final step of statehood is taken. In fact, the Bush plan is to create a state by the end of this year— long before it will be possible to determine if the Palestinian Arabs are sincerely fighting terrorism and ready to live in peace with Israel. We urge the Bush administration, the Israeli government, and the Quartet to postpone any decision regarding Palestinian Arab statehood until at least 2005 so there will be time to see if the Palestinian Arabs have really given up terrorism.”