International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, May 12, 2003

The American diplomat to Middle East criticized pro-Israel Christians for lack of "common sense" during a meeting with Israeli left-wing political activists and Palestinian Authority cabinet ministers last week.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns made disparaging statements regarding President George Bush's political supporters, implying that conservatives, Christians and the pro-Israel lobby in Washington, lack common sense.

The Jerusalem Post reported the comments based on the minutes of the meeting distributed by the left-wing NGO Peace Now.

In a meeting on May 4 at the US Consulate in west Jerusalem, Burns explained that among factors that stand to contribute to the success of the road map is the fact that the US primary elections begin in October and it has been widely reported that Bush stands to lose support among his core voters if he is perceived as pressuring Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians.

Israeli MK Colette Avital (Labor) said that conservative constituencies, "are lobbying to torpedo the road map and suggested that the Americans should help us [the Peace Coalition] to express our views to the American public."

In response to Avital's remarks, Burns assured the meeting's participants of the president's commitment to the plan.

"The common sense of all peoples will override the Conservative and Christian viewpoints once they see the road map's potential," Burns said.