New York, NY, April 5, 2002 … The Anti-Defamation (ADL) has commended President Bush for clearly articulating in his address on the Middle East situation that Yasir Arafat and the Palestinian Authority are primarily responsible for the problems in the region by rejecting opportunities for peace and resorting to terrorism.

Glen A. Tobias, ADL National Chairman, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

President George W. Bush made one of the clearest articulations by an American President of how the Palestinian leadership has betrayed the hopes of their own people and has been responsible for the terror and violence that have plagued Israel. Once again, the President has said strongly and unequivocally that there is no justification for terrorism, that those Palestinians who murder Israelis “are not martyrs, but murderers.” We applaud the President for this moral clarity.

At the same time we are concerned about the Administration's decision to call on Israel to cease its anti-terrorist activity in the West Bank before it has had sufficient time to clean out terrorist cells. We are also disappointed that the U.S. voted for a second Security Council resolution that demanded Israeli withdrawal, when President Bush has stated that Israel has the right to defend itself and its citizens.

If Secretary of State Colin Powell’s mission to the region is to be successful, we believe it is critical for the Administration to make clear to Chairman Arafat that there will be significant consequences if he fails to act against the terrorists and to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.