Senator Charles Schumer's Letter to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell

May 19, 2003
The Honorable Colin L. Powell
Secretary of State
The State Department
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Powell:

I am writing this afternoon to respectfully request that you stop the implementation of President Bush's roadmap for peace in the Middle East until the Palestinians and Palestinian-supported terrorists end homicide attacks on Israel. I was disappointed that President Bush said earlier today that he would continue with his roadmap for peace in the Middle East despite the latest Palestinian homicide bombings.

I believe that we will win the war on terror only by taking it on wherever it occurs. Continuing to sit down and negotiate with the Palestinians while they and their supporters murder innocent Israelis sends the message that we might do the same with al Qaeda. We do not negotiate with terrorists who strike at Americans, and I respectfully suggest that we should not negotiate with terrorists who strike at America's allies.

As you know, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said last week that he is trying to renew talks with Hamas as quickly as possible to achieve a full cease-fire for a period of a year. That is not working, and it is now clear that Yasir Arafat and not Mahmoud Abbas holds sway among Palestinians and Palestinian-linked terror groups. The fact that militia linked to the group Fatah claimed responsibility for the fifth bombing - the attack in Afula - is particularly troubling because Prime Minister Abbas is a Fatah leader who has denounced violence and promised to rein in the militants. If Abbas' closest allies don't heed him, how can we negotiate with him?

Allowing these negotiations to continue as if every party to them is acting in good faith - when in reality terrorist attacks are occurring in rapid-fire succession - hurts our ability to take a hard line against the terrorists who attacked on American soil.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator