NEW YORK – The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is deeply disappointed that the Anti-Defa-mation League and Americans for Peace Now are publicly pressuring Israel to make one-sided conces-sions to the terrorist Palestinian Authority regime by dismantling Jewish outposts in Judea- Samaria, but have been silent with regard to the much more numerous Palestinian Arab outposts in those areas.
The Jerusalem Post reported (July 8, 2004) that ADL national director Abe Foxman publicly warned that the U.S. is “disappointed” that Israel has not yet torn down every one of the outposts, that the issue “hurts Israel’s image,” and that it undermines Israel’s “self-respect” and its reputation as “a country of law and order.” The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported (July 8, 2004) that Americans for Peace Now has sent a letter to President Bush saying that “President Bush should pressure Ariel Sharon to accelerate action against unauthorized settlement outposts.”
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said: “At this time when Israel is under growing international pressure, as well as daily attempts to murder Israeli Jews, it is deeply disappointing that some American Jews are putting more pressure on Israel over a small number of tiny Jewish outposts, yet are silent over the huge amount of Palestinian Arab construction in the same territories.
“Making one-sided concessions to the terrorist Palestinian Authority regime will show that there are no consequences for its sponsorship of terrorism and anti-Semitic incitement, and will thus encourage more terror and anti-Semitism. It is sad and ironic that an organization pledged to combating defama-tion of Jews is urging Israeli concessions that could have the effect of encouraging the PA to continue its defamation of Jews.”
According to Israeli government estimates, Arabs have been building at ten times the rate of Jews in the territories.
The pro-Arafat newspaper Arab newspaper Jerusalem Times reported on June 18, 2004: “There was a general increase in the total number of issued building permits in first quarter 2004 compared with first quarter 2003 (around 26.8%), said a new report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). The number of issued building permits in first quarter 2004 has also increased compared with the first quarter of 2002 (around 16.0%)…”