|
Bushwhacked
|
By
V&A Editorial Staff
|
04/05/2004
|
With
a nod to last week’s scathing attack by former British
diplomats on Prime Minister Blair’s foreign policy, 53 former
US diplomats accused President Bush of endangering the lives of
US civilians, diplomats and military personal through his
unqualified support for Israeli Premier Sharon’s policies.
The
remarks came in an open letter addressed to US President Bush
and carrying the names of the veteran diplomats.
They
accused Bush of turning his back on international law,
established US policy and various UN resolutions on the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including those dealing with the
Palestinian right to return and those declaring Jewish
settlements in Palestinian territory illegal.
Citing
Bush’s endorsement of Israeli’s “
Berlin
Wall-like barrier” and extra-judicial executions, as well as
his shutting out of the Palestinians in negotiations, the
diplomats stated that
US
foreign policy was costing
America
“credibility, prestige and friends.”
The
letter is groundbreaking in that criticism of
US
policy on
Israel
is generals a taboo subject for officials. Additionally, through
its reference to the endangerment of US citizens, the letter
seems to implicitly acknowledge that
US
foreign policy is a primary grievance that motivates terrorism.
The
text of the letter:
Dear
Mr President:
We
former
US
diplomats applaud our 52 British colleagues who recently sent a
letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair criticizing his
Middle East
policy and calling on
Britain
to exert more influence over the
United States
. As retired foreign service officers we care deeply about our
nation's foreign policy and
US
credibility in the world.
We
also are deeply concerned by your April 14 endorsement of
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral plan to reject
the rights of three million Palestinians, to deny the right of
refugees to return to their homeland, and to retain five large
illegal settlement blocs in the occupied
West Bank
. This plan defies UN Security Council resolutions calling for
Israel
's return of occupied territories. It ignores international laws
declaring Israeli settlements illegal.
It
flouts UN Resolution 194, passed in 1948, which affirms the
right of refugees to return to their homes or receive
compensation for the loss of their property and assistance in
resettling in a host country should they choose to do so. And it
undermines the Road Map for peace drawn up by the Quartet,
including the
US
. Finally, it reverses longstanding American policy in the
Middle East
.
Your
meeting with
Sharon
followed a series of intensive negotiating sessions between
Israelis and Americans, but which left out Palestinians. In
fact, you and Prime Minister Sharon consistently have excluded
Palestinians from peace negotiations. Former Palestinian
Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo voiced the overwhelming
reaction of people around the world when he said, "I
believe President Bush declared the death of the peace process
today."
By
closing the door to negotiations with Palestinians and the
possibility of a Palestinian state, you have proved that the
United States
is not an even-handed peace partner. You have placed US
diplomats, civilians and military doing their jobs overseas in
an untenable and even dangerous position.
Your
unqualified support of
Sharon
's extra-judicial assassinations,
Israel
's
Berlin
Wall-like barrier, its harsh military measures in occupied
territories, and now your endorsement of
Sharon
's unilateral plan are costing our country its credibility,
prestige and friends.
It
is not too late to reassert American principles of justice and
fairness in our relations with all the peoples of the
Middle East
. Support negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, with
the
United States
serving as a truly honest broker.
A
return to the time-honored American tradition of fairness will
reverse the present tide of ill will in
Europe
and the Middle East-even in
Iraq
. Because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the core of the
problems in the
Middle East
, the entire region-and the world-will rejoice along with
Israelis and Palestinians when the killing stops and peace is
attained.
Sincerely,
Signatories
include
Andrew
I Killgore, Ambassador to Qatar, 1977-1980
Richard H Curtiss, former chief inspector, US Information Agency
Colbert C Held, Retired FSO and author
Thomas J Carolan, Counsel General Istanbul, '88-'92
C Edward Bernier, Counselor of Embassy, Information and Culture,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Donald A Kruse, American Consul in Jerusalem
Ambassador Edward L Peck, former Chief of Mission in Iraq and
Mauritania
John Powell, Admin Counselor in Beirut, '75-'76
John Gunther Dean, last position held US Ambassador to India
Greg Thielmann, Director, Office for Strategic Proliferation
Military Affairs, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
James Akins, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Talcott Seeyle, Ambassador to Syria
Eugene Bird, Counselor of Embassy in Saudi Arabia
Richard H Nolte, Ambassador to Egypt
Ray Close, Chief of Station Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1971-1979
Shirl McArthur, Commercial Attache,
Bangkok
|
