They continue their relentless boycott of companies that do business there. It should certainly be clear by now that the settlements are only a small part of the story. The settlement issue needs to be addressed. but it need not be addressed on the backs of a million refugees who are seeking safe harbor. What this linkage would do. Mr. President. is place the fate of thousands of refugees at the hands of a dispute they did not create. and certainly want no part of it. It says to the refugees: we may sympathize for you. We may be prepared to speak at great lengths about your suffering and your endurance. But when it comes to actually taking the steps necessary to help you. we would rather use you as a foreign policy leverage point or tool. Should the President still be thinking about linking aid to settlements in the occupied territories. I would encourage him to visit the Middle East. I would encourage him to see the conditions that the Soviet refugees are living in. And I would ask him to explain to them why he insists on conditioning U.S. assistance. Mr. President. it was half a century ago that the world stood by and watched as the Nazi regime murdered over 6 million European Jews and 6 million others in the European community. We could not help those Jews. But 50 years later. the emigration of Soviet Jews to Israel presents us. and the world. with the dramatic opportunity to make a difference in their lives. We will never be able to make up for the families that were wiped out in the Holocaust. We will never be able to recapture those souls that were lost to the Nazi onslaught. But when the next generation takes stock of our contribution to humanity. at the very least they should be able to point to our efforts to help the refugees and say: That was a genuine act of compassion. And so. Mr.
Keywords matched
emigration refugees