Since becoming Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has made a demand that Jews should not be allowed to build more homes or undertake any other additional Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. Some have called this a racist demand, because she has supported Palestinians building in all these areas and even insisted that Israel should not demolished illegally built Arab homes. At the same time, Secretary Clinton has made no demands of Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) on issues whose non-fulfillment precludes any possibility of peace – arresting terrorists, outlawing terrorist groups and ending the incitement to hatred and murder in the PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps that feed terrorism and rejection of peace with Israel.

·        In a May 19 interview with the Al-Jazeera cable television network, Secretary Clinton said, “We want to see a stop to [Jewish] settlement construction, additions, natural growth – any kind of settlement activity. We made that very clear. I reinforced that last night at a dinner with Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

·        And again, on May 27 in Egypt, secretary Clinton reiterated, “not some [Jewish] settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions … And we intend to press that point.”

·        Also, a March 4 press conference in Ramallah with PA president Mahmoud Abbas at her side, Secretary Clinton stated, “Clearly this kind of [Jewish construction] activity is unhelpful and not in keeping with the obligations entered into under the ‘road map’ … It is an issue that we intend to raise with the government of Israel and the government at the municipal level in Jerusalem.”

Write, email, phone or fax Secretary Clinton to tell her that Jews have an historical, religious and political right to live in these areas.

Has made no demands of PA – on issues that really preclude peace – incitement, arresting outlawing, ending

In your message, you might consider including some of the following points:

·        As part of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria, President George W. Bush gave a signed letter to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, stating that major Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria should remain under Israeli control in any final peace agreement. After all, there are almost 40,000 Jews in Maaleh Adumim, almost 40,000 in Beitar Illit, 25,000 in Ariel, 15,000 in Efrat and 10,000 in Beit El – all are towns located in Judea and Samaria (West Bank).

This letter was approved almost unanimously in the U.S. House (407 to 9) and the Senate (95 to 3). President Obama has a moral obligation to honor this Bush/Congressionally-approved guarantee to Israel. It is simply inhumane and wholly impractical to prohibit a Jewish son or daughter who marries or moves out of their parents’ home from building a house in the same town as their parents, thus forcing them to live in a town other than the one in which they grew up. That this sort of measure is to be applied solely to Jews because they are Jews is simply racist and against American values.

·        Jewish homes comprise only 6 percent of the land area of Judea and Samaria. Jews represent approximately 10 percent of the population. Regardless of the final disposition of these territories under any future agreement, Jews should be allowed to live there.

·        Why can 1.2 million Arabs live among 6 million Jews within the Green Line, but 300,000 Jews cannot live among 2 million Aras in Judea and Samaria?

·        Jews living in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem have nothing to do with obstructing peace. The reason there is no peace is the Arab refusal to accept Israel’s existence. The Palestinian Authority (PA) promotes and indoctrinates hatred and violence against Jews and Americans in their schools, media and speeches. The PA doesn’t arrest anti-Israel terrorists; the PA doesn’t outlaw terrorist groups and put Israel on their maps as required in their written agreements. That’s why the war against Israel continues –not because the Jews live near Arab towns and villages.

·       From 1948 to 1967, not a single Jew living in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, yet there was no peace during this lengthy period. Peace has been prevented by Arab non-acceptance of Israel, not the presence of Jews living in Judea and Samaria.

·        The Israeli government is a sovereign, democratically-elected government. They should be allowed to make their own decisions, not have decisions imposed upon them by the United States. Imposed “solutions” can never lead to peace.

·        The territories of Judea and Samaria have been illegally occupied by Jordan from 1948 to 1967 and Jordan did not renounce its claim to these territories until 1988. Only two UN member states supported Jordan’s right to occupy and annex Judea and Samaria. This is no-one’s sovereign territory and is unallocated land under international law.

·        Eastern Jerusalem is as much a part of Jerusalem, the religious, historical and political capital of the Jewish people, as any other part of the city.

·        Judea and Samaria have been the religious, historical and political heartland of the Jewish people from biblical times, from the Jewish nation-state 2000 years ago, to the Balfour Declaration to the League of Nations, which reiterated the fact that this is the Jewish homeland.

·        Jerusalem, in particular the Old City and Temple Mount, contain the holiest sites in Judaism, while containing site of only lesser significance to Islam.

·        Jerusalem is mentioned hundreds of times in the bible, but not once in the Quran.

·        Throughout history, Jerusalem has never been the capital of any nation other Jewish people.

·        Since the mid-1800s, Jerusalem is the only city in the word to have had a Jewish majority.

·        Only under Israeli rule have all adherents of all religions represented in Jerusalem been able to worship freely and access their religious sites.

·        Under non-Israeli rule, Jewish sites have been destroyed or vandalized. Under Jordanian rule (1948-67), every one of the Old City’s 58 synagogues were destroyed and the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives desecrated, with tombstones used to pave roads and Jordanian army latrines.

·        Under Palestinian Authority control, major Jewish shrines have been desecrated or destroyed. Joseph’s Tomb has been demolished, Rachel’s Tomb has been repeatedly attacked, necessitating a major security wall and guard towers, the ancient synagogue in Jericho was burnt to the ground.

·        Only under Israeli rule have all adherents of all religions represented in Jerusalem been able to worship freely and access their religious sites.

·        Handing over part of Jerusalem to the PA will render the rest of Jerusalem vulnerable to terrorist, rocket and mortar attacks.

·        The world lived through the horror of a divided Berlin. We dare not re-live that horror by dividing Jerusalem.

Phone: 202-647-4000; 1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay Service)

Letter: U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520

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