The Administration of the U.S. 1981

Jun 1, 1981 — THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION OF THE UNITED STATES

The Rabbinical Council of America in convention assembled,

GREETS the President of the United States, Mr. Ronald Reagan, and the Vice-President, Mr. George Bush, on their first year in their high office;

RECOGNIZES the great efforts of these individuals and those who implement their policies, towards the pursuit of a strong and lasting peace in the Middle East;

LOOKS PROUDLY to American friendship and support for the State of Israel, a nation which by tradition, democratic principle, and strategic location is, and of right ought to be, a great and loyal ally of the American People and their Government;

APPRECIATES the efforts of the Secretary of State, the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, and others, to seek fair and honest dealing with the State of Israel in the community of nations;

IS SADDENED by the apparent necessity to appease certain warlike factions in the United Nations, in casting its ballot in the Security Council with a hypocritical and prejudiced majority; and

CALLS UPON THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THE CONGRESS, THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS, AND ALL PERSONS OF GOODWILL:

TO UNDERSTAND the anguished decision of the State of Israel to take decisive action, when diplomatic efforts seem to have failed to lift the nuclear threat from its own people and the people of the Middle East;

TO CONTINUE to maintain a strong and well-armed Israel, both for its own protection and the protection of vital American interests in the region;

TO DENOUNCE terrorism in all its forms, and to seek worldwide condemnation of all terrorist acts;

TO ESCHEW any relationship with the so-called P.L.O., a murderous and criminal band which should be outlaw and anathema in a civilized world;

TO SUPPORT the independent efforts of Israel to achieve direct negotiations with its neighbors;

TO CONTINUE its humanitarian efforts to bring peace to strife-torn Lebanon, and to protect its innocent citizenry of all faiths from those who would destroy its land for their own ill-conceived purposes, bringing ruin and desolation to a country where Christian and Moslem have the opportunity to live in peace and harmony;

TO RECOGNIZE that during the years 1967-1981 there has been unprecedented freedom of conscience and freedom of religious movement in the City of Jerusalem, with full protection of the holy places of all religious groups, a protection never provided when that city was illegally held, in part, by the Kingdom of Jordan;

TO RECOGNIZE the fact of Jerusalem as an undivided and indivisible city, the present and historical capital of Israel;

TO TRANSFER American diplomatic offices to the City of Jerusalem;

TO PROCLAIM to the world as American policy, that the City of Jersualem will never be subject to barbed-wire division again, but will be and remain the capital of Israel, with guarantees protecting freedom of access to it by all who come there in peace;

CALLS UPON the Administration not to proceed with its proposed arms package sale to Saudi Arabia, a move that could destabilize the region, endanger Israel’s security, and harm America’s own interests should sophisticated military material fall into Soviet hands;

CALLS UPON the Administration to move for a change in Saudi-American relationships to reflect more fully the dependence of Saudi Arabia on the United States, and to press for Saudi support for the peace initiatives of the United States;

CALLS UPON THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND ITS LEGISLATORS to recognize the strategic as well as the moral importance of Israel to the United States, and to support the unflagging commitment to the territorial integrity of the State of Israel and its security, a commitment made by all presidents of the United States from Harry S. Truman to this day, thus preserving the special relationship that exists between Israel and the United States.