Lowey Urges Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to Correct Statement Blaming "Zionists" for Terror Attacks
LOWEY URGES SAUDI CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH TO CORRECT STATEMENT BLAMING "ZIONISTS" FOR TERROR ATTACKS
Congresswoman Sends Letter to President Regarding Outrageous Comments
May 3, 2004
BREAK IN TEXT
May 4, 2004
Hon. George W. Bush
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to express outrage at recent statements made by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah blaming Saturday's tragic terrorist attacks in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, on Zionists. In reaction to the incident, the Crown Prince reportedly stated, "Saudi Arabia is being targeted by Zionists
we are 95 percent sure that Zionists' hands were behind what happened."
At least seven people - American, British, Australian, and Saudi - were killed in the attacks, which took place at an oil contractor's office. One victim was reportedly dragged behind the terrorists' getaway car. The Crown Prince's charge is clearly baseless, and runs counter to a wealth of well-documented information indicating that al-Qaeda continues to target both Saudi Arabia's foreign residents and its oil industry. It has also been reported that Saudi al-Qaeda leader Abdulaziz al-Muqrin has called for the bodies of Americans to be dragged through Saudi streets.
Blaming Zionists - a code-word for Israel and the Jewish people - for this heinous attack is merely an effort on the part of the Saudi royal family to deflect attention from their support for terrorism in general, and anti-Israel terrorism specifically. We urge you to immediately communicate to Crown Prince Abdullah your dismay at his remarks, and urge him to issue an official statement placing blame for the attack where blame is most certainly due - on al-Qaeda.
As we continue to prosecute the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq, we must put Arab countries on notice that the decades-old practice of blaming Israel and the Jewish people for the troubles of the Arab world is unacceptable. Those regimes that continue this offensive and dangerous hate-mongering must know that their actions will have serious, negative effects on their relations with the United States.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Nita M. Lowey
Member of Congress