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Letter to President George W. Bush

Date: May 17, 2004
Issues: Foreign Affairs


May 17, 2004

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We write to express our concern regarding Secretary of State Colin Powell's recent condemnation of Israel's policy of bulldozing Palestinian tunnels used to smuggle arms from Egypt.

We find it hard to understand how Secretary Powell could characterize efforts to cut off the supply of weapons to groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad as unproductive. Once smuggled into the Gaza Strip, terrorists use these weapons in attacks against Israeli citizens and soldiers.

No matter how many weapons are confiscated, the Israelis will not be able to disarm terror groups until they cut off their supply networks. Last year alone, the Israelis found 40 tunnels. Nevertheless, many more exist, concealed beneath Palestinian houses. Your administration ought to stem its criticism of a policy that is integral to Israel's self-defense.

Reps. Michael R. McNulty (D-NY), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Ben Chandler (D-KY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY).

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