Dear NileMedia Reader: Paul Findley, an ex-Republican congressman, has spent decades writing and lecturing on the Middle East and the Israeli Lobby. He is a truly exceptional patriot, who put his country and his values above his political career. His outstanding book about the influence of the Israeli lobby (They Dare to Speak) is essential reading. Because Mr Findley has earned deserved respect in the Middle East, he is exactly the kind of individual America needs to communicate a new American visionary policy to the people of the Middle East. His appointment alone to a high profile position in the State Department would instantly signal that America means to conduct honest business with the people and governments of the Middle East. One of our readers sent us a copy of Findley's letter to the President. This is but a small sample of the courageous positions the congressman has taken over the years. What follows is Findley's recent letter to President Bush.

October 3, 2001
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Bush:

The decision of your administration to support an independent Palestinian state is one of the most promising presidential decisions in many years. The decision is consistent with America's longstanding commitment to equal rights for all people and the principle of self-determination.

Besides being a big step in the advancement of human rights, it is also a vital and timely move in your urgent campaign against terrorism. It is justified as a matter of "military necessity," the primary argument that Abraham Lincoln offered during an earlier time of great national peril when he promulgated the Emancipation Proclamation.

By presenting Palestinians with hope for tomorrow, you substantially strengthen your anti-terrorism endeavors today. The sooner formal announcement occurs, the better. Informal reports have already elicited widespread approval. Formal announcement will, I am sure, cause an outpouring of enthusiasm for your anti-terrorism campaign from great numbers of people worldwide, especially in the Middle East and the sub-continent of Asia where strong support for your campaign is vital and where concern for Palestinian rights is almost universal. It will solidify support among the world's 1.2 billion Muslims.

The official statement-it will be the first precise endorsement of statehood by a President-- will elicit great support, even though the statehood goal may not be reached in the immediate future. Past U.S. administrations have left the question of statehood to negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, but the dreadful events of September 11 render this policy outdated and insufficient.

Your statement of support will-

1. --be applauded by many Israelis-perhaps a large majority of them. By now, they realize that they can never really relax until Palestinians gain full citizenship in a truly viable state of their own.

2. --reduce if not halt the scourge of lethal exchanges between Palestinians and Israelis. It will give both communities bright hope of a happier, less stressful life in which the security of both Israel and the new Palestine can, with U.S. support, be attained. There is no inconsistency between U.S. friendship and support for Israel and U.S. support for Palestinian statehood.

3. --elicit rejoicing by millions of people who champion the rule of law. People of all faiths are troubled by America's record of unconditional support of a government that frequently violates international law and uses military equipment we donate to gain control of territory. Every time Israel violates international law, its moral authority is diminished and, as the consequence of our perceived complicity, so is America's. By calling for independent statehood, the United States makes a significant break from this debilitating cycle.

4. --reduce hostility against America and provide an important balance to our government's current resort to arms. The evil designs that led to the terrorist bombings of September 11 are widely believed to have been prompted partly by anger over America's role in the abuse of Palestinians. In no sense can your declaration be considered "caving in to terrorists." To the contrary, it will be saluted nearly everywhere as a timely, long overdue improvement in U.S. Middle East policy.

Your support for Palestinian statehood comes at a time when dangerous passions are rising against Arabs and Muslims in this country and against America in foreign lands.

These thoughts arise from my own 34-year examination of terrorism in the Middle East, the first 16 years as a Republican Member of Congress. My examination has become intense among Muslims worldwide during the past three years. Since leaving Congress in 1983, I have written three books that relate to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The latest is Silent No More: Confronting America's False Images of Islam, a copy of which was presented to you during your recent visit to Washington's Islamic Center.

In a November 1978 interview, Yasser Arafat authorized me to report to the Carter administration that if a new Palestine is established on the Occupied Territories, the PLO would live at peace with Israel and would renounce the use of force to expand the size of the new Palestine. Unfortunately, the Carter administration made no response and thousands of lives have been needlessly lost since then.

Mr. President, I am at your service.

With congratulations and high hopes,

Sincerely yours,

Paul Findley