Areas heretofore considered vital to Israel's security are being transferred and Jewish holy places such as Hebron, where Jews have lived for over 3,000 years, Bethlehem and Beth-el are being abandoned. Mr. Secretary, while we commend the Administration for its commitment to stability and peace in the region, the American public will not tolerate the deployment of its sons and daughters to the Golan in the absence of a broad, popular consensus and a preeminent national security interest. Neither exists today. Any negotiated agreements, more specifically any financial or security agreements must be exclusively between the State of Israel and the Government of Syria. The Israeli-Lebanese border remains a difficult and troubled area.
Terrorism continues to threaten Israeli citizens.
Hezbollah has found a safe haven there and Lebanon is essentially occupied by Syria. We must ensure that, when the talks continue, these matters are dealt with in a forthright and bold matter. Negotiating any agreements that fail to deal with the question of state-sponsored terrorism and the withdrawal of Syrian forces to liberate Lebanon will lead to the unraveling of any such agreements. While we respect the Administration's intentions to broker an agreement, we must go on record as opposing any effort to burden United States citizens with the obligation of ensuring the success of such an arrangement through the payment of tax dollars or the commitment of American troops. We strongly urge that you avoid making commitments to Syria that may be beyond the capacity or willingness of the United States to deliver.