Letters to the Editor

29 March 1995

Jonathan E. Mitchell
6310 San Vicente Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90048

March 24, 1995

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor:

The presidents of the American Jewish organizations met last week in Jerusalem with Israel’s
Deputy Foreign Minister Yossi Beilin. Beilin chastised, among others, the U.S. Congress and the
pro-Israel lobby, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), for insisting on Yasir
Arafat’s adherence to the PLO’s agreement with Israel.

“If Arafat complies exactly with the Oslo Accords or not, it is none of your business,” Beilin said
to the group of Jewish-American activists. He added, “It is not the business of Jewish
organizations, not AIPAC’s, not the American Congress’ and not of any other country in the
world except the State of Israel. Only Israel signed the agreement with the PLO and only Israel
will decide when and in what form it will demand from Arafat to behave.”

Beilin should remember that the U.S. was asked by his government to provide economic
assistance to the Palestinians and that the aid was contingent upon the PLO observing its
agreement with Israel — especially, terrorism-related issues. Fully aware of the irrefutable
evidence of the PLO’s failure to live up to its commitments regarding terrorism, Beilin,
nevertheless, wants American money to flow freely to the Palestinian Authority.

It is one thing for our country to provide unconditional assistance to a strategic ally; it is quite
another to hand it over to individuals sworn against everything for which we stand and who
continue to hold our safety hostage. The U.S. provisioned payments to the Palestinians as an
incentive for Arafat to control terrorism. Instead, acts of Palestinian barbarism have risen to
unprecedented levels. Under the circumstances, Beilin’s criticism of our government and those of
us dedicated to preserving and strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship is both absurd and
arrogant.

Beilin forgets he wants American taxpayer dollars to go to the engineers and perpetrators of some
of the most heinous crimes committed today. His proposed recipients are the same people who
prayed for Saddam Hussein to kill American soldiers and who caused the mutilations and death of
scores of American civilians. Beilin ignores that Americans, too, are not immune to the
misfortunes of Palestinian terrorism.

Protecting American lives and investing American dollars to enhance our ability to do so is not
“none of [our] business,” as Beilin asserts. It is our primary business.

Sincerely,

/signed/
Jonathan E. Mitchell
Regional Vice President
American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)