Urge Congress to Oppose Aid to Syria
Shawn Phillips
ZOA ACTION ALERT- March 9, 2000
TO: Friends of Israel Around the U.S.
FROM: Morton A. Klein Dr. Janice J. Sokolovsky
National President Executive Director
Zionist Organization of America
Urge Congress to Oppose Aid to Syria
Media reports indicate that the Clinton administration is preparing
to ask Congress to approve economic or even military aid to Syria in the
near future. Administration officials have already spoken informally with
Congressional leaders about such aid.
American aid to Syria would bolster a regime that continues to
support anti-Israel terrorism and is developing chemical and biological
weapons to use in a future attack on Israel.
Recommended Action For You To Take:
* Contact your U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative and urge them
to oppose any American aid to Syria. A letter is now circulating among
Members of Congress, demanding that Syria stop supporting terrorism, cease
anti-Israel incitement, halt its military buildup, and take other concrete
steps before Congress would even consider giving it aid. Please urge your
Congressmember to sign the letter.
Call the Congressional switchboard, 202-224-3121, to be connected
to the U.S. Representative of your choice.
Or write to your Senator or Representative at:
[Name of Senator] [Name of Representative]
United States Senate U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20515
* Contact the chairmen of the Congressional committees that will
consider whether or not to send U.S. aid to Syria:
U.S.Senator Ted Stevens
Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee
tel 202-224-3004 / fax 202- 224-2354
e-mail: senator...@stevens.senate.gov
U.S. Senator Jesse Helms
Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
tel 202-224-6342 / fax 202-228-1339
e-mail: Jesse...@helms.senate.gov
U.S. Rep Sonny Callahan
Chair, House Appropriations Committee
tel 202-225-4931 / fax 202-225-0562
e-mail: sonny.c...@mail.house.gov / al...@legislators.com
U.S. Rep. Ben Gilman
Chair, House International Relations Committee
tel 202-225-3776 / fax 202-225-2541
e-mail: ny...@legislators.com
Sample Letter
Below is a sample letter regarding the issue of U.S. aid to Syria. Please
do not clip and send this sample letter; it is much more effective if you
write your own version. In formulating your letter, you can utilize some of
the "Talking Points" listed below.
Dear Congressman ________:
I urge you to oppose any U.S. military or economic aid to Syria.
Given Syria's record of sponsoring international terrorism, engaging in
international narcotics trafficking, violating treaties, invading
neighboring countries, and developing weapons of mass destruction, it is no
wonder polls show that by a three-to-one
majority, most Americans oppose giving their tax dollars to Syria.
Congress should heed the overwhelming majority of Americans and refrain
from authorizing any American aid to the pro-terrorist dictatorship of
Syria.
Sincerely,
Talking Points
* Most Americans Oppose Aid to Syria: 72% of U.S. voters oppose any
Israel-Syria agreement that would require U.S.financial or military aid
(only 22% say they would support it), and 42% say they are less likely to
re-elect Members of Congress who support such an agreement, according to a
survey by The Polling Company
and Miller Research for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs
in February 2000.
A poll carried out on January 13, 2000, by John McLaughlin &
Associates on behalf of the scholarly journal Middle East Quarterly found
that by more than 3 to 1 (63.8% to 21%), Americans oppose U.S. aid to Syria
"to strengthen Syria's economy, in return for Syria signing a peace treaty
with Israel"(only 21% favor such aid); by nearly 4 to 1 (66.5% to 16.9%),
Americans oppose U.S. aid "to strengthen Syria's military," even if Syria
stops developing "weapons of mass destruction".
* Most Israelis Opposing Giving Away the Golan Heights:
A Gallup poll, carried out on March 5, 2000, found that 60.9% of Israelis
say Israel should wait and see who succeeds Assad before signing a treaty
with Syria. Only 21.4% of Israelis favor rushing to sign a treaty now,
before Assad dies or resigns. A poll taken by the respected Steinmetz
Center of Tel Aviv University, found only 14% of Israelis are "greatly in
favor" of giving up the Golan, and another 9.5% are "somewhat in favor,"
while 56.7% are opposed to giving up the Golan. A Steinmetz poll in
January found 62.3% oppose giving up the Golan, while only 21.2% are in
favor.
* Syrian Foreign Minister: "After getting the Golan, we will
liberate the rest of Palestine": Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq Al-Shara
told the annual convention of the Arab Writers Association in Syria on
January 24, 2000: "For fifty years we have tried the path of military
struggle, and [the result was] that we were left alone along with Lebanon.
This does not mean that in a state of peace we will throw away our weapons.
Do not misunderstand me...Restoring Palestine in its entirety is a long
term strategic goal, that cannot be achieved in one stage. The first stage
is the stage of restoring the occupied lands [of 1967] and of guaranteeing
the national inalienable right of the Palestinian Arab people."
* Syrian-Controlled Terrorist Groups Have Murdered Hundreds of
American Citizens. The Hezbollah terrorist group, which operates from
Syrian-occupied Lebanon and receives its Iranian arms shipments through
Syria's Damascus airport, carried out the October 1983 car-bomb attack on
the U.S. Marines barracks near Beirut, killing 241 Americans.
Syria also permits numerous other terrorist groups that have killed
Americans to maintain facilities in both Damascus and in Syrian-occupied
Lebanon, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and
the Japanese Red Army.
* The Syrian Government-Controlled Media is Anti-American. The
Syrian media, which is completely controlled by the
government, frequently publishes vicious anti-American incitement. For
example, after a terrorists attacked U.S. Embassy personnel in Egypt,
Syrian newspapers called the attackers "heroes." (Jerusalem Post, May 29,
1997)
* Syria Votes Against America's Positions at the U.N. 83% of the
Time. According to a report by the U.S. State Department, Syria voted
against America's positions at the United Nations 83% of the time in 1998.
* Syria is Helping America's Enemy, Saddam Hussein. According the
Times of London, Syria has agreed to supply Saddam Hussein with "engines
for Russian-made tanks and tracks for armoured fighting vehicles ... spares
for anti-aircraft radar facilities --hit by recent American and British
bombing-- lorries, aircraft and helicopters, and ammunition."
* Syria's Human Rights Violations Are Contrary to American Values.
Human rights organizations have documented Syria's unrelenting suppression
of free speech and assembly, torture of prisoners, and brutal persecution
of political dissidents. Syria's actions are completely contrary to
America's values of freedom and democracy.
* Syria is Developing Unconventional Weapons. Despite America's
efforts to halt the international proliferation of unconventional weapons,
Syria is racing ahead with its efforts to develop chemical, biological, and
nuclear weapons, and in November 1999 conducted its first live chemical
weapons test. (Jerusalem Post, November 28, 1999)