What They Are Saying
Eighty-nine U.S. Senators told President Bush:
“We are resolved to do whatever it takes to fight terrorist groups of global reach, as the leaders of Israel are resolved to defend their people from such groups. There is no excuse, no justification for terrorism. Whatever the grievance, the killing of innocent civilians to advance political goals can never be countenanced.
Eighty-nine U.S. Senators told President Bush:
“We are resolved to do whatever it takes to fight terrorist groups of global reach, as the leaders of Israel are resolved to defend their people from such groups. There is no excuse, no justification for terrorism. Whatever the grievance, the killing of innocent civilians to advance political goals can never be countenanced.
“The American people would never excuse us for not going after the terrorists with all our strength and might. Yet that is what some have demanded of the Israeli government after every terrorist incident they suffer. No matter what the provocation, they urge restraint. We would never accept that response for ourselves. We cannot understand how some can urge such a course upon Israel, our one reliable and democratic ally in the entire Middle East. We are confident that you support Israel’s efforts to defend itself.”
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Undersecretary of State John Bolton and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice all laid groundwork for Stage II. According to a Washington Times story (20 November):
“‘The United States strongly suspects that Iraq has taken advantage of three years of no U.N. inspections to improve all phases of its offensive biological weapons program,’ said Mr. Bolton, ‘The existence of Iraq’s program is beyond dispute.’ In addition (he) said Washington strongly suspects that North Korea, Libya, Syria, Iran and Sudan also are seeking to develop germ-warfare programs Condoleezza Rice’s left open the possibility that Iraq could become a target… ‘We do not need the events of September 11 to tell us that [Saddam] is a very dangerous man who is a threat to his own people, a threat to the region and a threat to us because he is determined to acquire weapons of mass destruction.’S Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld lumped Iraq with bin Laden’s al Qaeda network and the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf terrorist organization as critical to the international network of ‘terrorist-sponsoring states.’ ‘There is no question but that there has been a good deal of interaction,’ among these groups, Mr. Rumsfeld said.”
King Abdullah of Jordan, according to a news report:
“Called on his fellow Arab leaders to recognize that the world’s new realities after September 11 made the Arab-Israeli conflict secondary to the combating of worldwide terrorism. It was, he said, false to argue that solving the Arab-Israeli conflict was the key to reducing global terrorism, though terrorists did use the conflict as an excuse for their crimes. He also demurred from the usual Arab accusation that Israel, rather than the Palestinians, is to blame for the current impasse.” He said “a Palestinian state would not come about unless Israel receives the necessary formal Arab assurances, and this has ‘unfortunately not been stipulated enough.’ The pan-Arab declaration would need to provide the underpinning for ‘the integration and security of Israel into the region’s the king agreed with cautionary remarks made to him by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Israel would never disappear, Mr. Blair had told him, but it remained to be seen if ‘Palestine’ would appear. ‘To this day, as an Arab, I don’t know whether or not there’ll be a Palestinian state,’ said the king.”