IV. PRESS RELEASES Reform Jewish Leader Applauds White House Efforts to Advance Middle East Peace WASHINGTON, DC (March 14, 2003) -- Today Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC), commended President George W. Bush's statement on planned unveiling of his road map for Middle East peace. The complete statement follows: The Reform Jewish Movement applauds President Bush's efforts to move the Middle East peace process forward and his planned introduction of a road map for peace. Continued American engagement is necessary to achieve a strong and enduring peace between Israel and the Palestinians. As the President stated, "The Palestinian state must be a reformed and peaceful and democratic state that abandons forever the use of terror." Without such steps, including an end to the Intifada, a lasting peace agreement will be unattainable. We similarly agree with the President's assertion that an end to settlement construction is also needed to make progress toward peace. It is essential that other events of international importance not be allowed to overshadow America's interests in playing an effective role in moving a Middle East peace process forward. We welcome President Bush's efforts and will continue to support all advancements toward peace and security in the Middle East. ### -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is the Washington office of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), whose over 900 congregations across North America encompass 1.5 million Reform Jews, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis(CCAR) whose membership includes over 1800 Reform rabbis.