Aug 29 , 01
7. WHAT THE U.S. SHOULD DO
Jewish American groups such as the ZOA and VIPAC are calling upon US President Bush to back up his recent words of support for Israel with actions. Specifically, VIPAC calls on Bush to restore the PLO to the State Department's list of terrorist entities, end the $125 million yearly subsidy to Palestinian organizations, and issue arrest warrants for PLO terrorists who have murdered Americans. Similarly, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) praised the President's criticism of the PA leadership for not halting the violence, but urges him to instruct the State Department to stop denouncing Israel's self-defense actions against the violence as "excessive" and "provocative."
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday that the Palestinians "need to stop the shootings and attacks against Israelis in Gilo and elsewhere," but added, "we believe the Israelis should withdraw their forces from [Beit Jala.]" ZOA President Morton Klein noted that the U.S. has used very great force in situations where American citizens were not in direct danger, including Panama, Grenada, and the Persian Gulf. Klein noted that U.S. Secretary of State Powell was right when he said in 1999, "Go in full force from the beginning rather than escalate yourself into a quagmire. Or don't go in at all."
In a related item, the ZOA expressed "shock and dismay" at US Ambassador in Israel Daniel Kurtzer and State Department spokesman Richard Boucher for their criticism of Israel for accidentally and slightly wounding two Arab-Americans. A ZOA statement notes that Kurtzer never criticized the PA for its involvement in the deliberate murders of American Jews. The ZOA explains that the two Arab-Americans in question were slightly wounded during the attack on terrorist leader Abu Ali Mustafa, head of the PFLP organization that has murdered at least 14 American citizens. Kurtzer said nothing, however, about the fact that several hours later, U.S. citizen Ben Dansker was wounded in a drive-by shooting attack by Palestinian terrorists in pre-1967 Israel.

Nov 12, 1999
6. SUPPORTING ISRAEL VIA E-MAIL
American supporters of Israel who would like to "do something" but have not yet found the right outlet may take notice: VIPAC has been formed. Two New Yorkers, Martin Elsant and Moish Berkowitz, have formed the Virtual Israel Political Action Committee - an e-mail list that aims to petition the U.S. government for a "policy that is more supportive of Israel's security, historical and Biblical claims in Judea, Samaria, Gaza, and the Golan Heights." VIPAC list members receive a weekly sample letter regarding American policy towards Israel; members are encouraged to make minor or major changes, and send it on to the White House. "An increasing number of pro-Israel messages each week could have a positive impact on the administration's Middle East policy," say the founders. See (http://www.vipac.org).