Brit Tzedek v'Shalom
Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace
Action Alert
Action Alert — Completed 1/15/ 2004
[POSTED: December 17, 2003]
Urge Congress: Support the Geneva Accord Resolutions
Dear Members and Supporters,
This is a unique opportunity, one that we have all been waiting for a long time, to activate Congress in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives.
As we wrote to you two weeks ago, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) and Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA) and Amo Houghton (R-NY) have introduced resolutions into the Senate and House in support of the Geneva Accord (Senate Res. 276, House Res. 479). Large numbers of you participated in our action alert -- via fax, telephone call, and email -- urging our Congressional representatives to co-sponsor these landmark resolutions.
We ask you to contact your Members of Congress again. As of this writing, 5 senators and 36 representatives have co-sponsored these resolutions (see the background section below for their names). Many Senators and Representatives will be making up their minds on how to vote on these resolutions during Congress' upcoming winter recess. It is important that they hear calls for support of these resolutions from their constituents, particularly from within the Jewish community.
Below are sample faxes, as well as talking points for phone calls, asking Senators and Representatives to vote in favor of Senate Res. 276/House Res. 479. And if your Senator or Representative is one of the sponsors, we urge you to write or call and congratulate him or her on their courageous stand for peace.
Please take action, and send this action alert on to others, as widely as you can. Let us know that you have responded to this action alert by sending an email to advocacy@btvshalom.org so that we can gauge its impact.
L'Shalom,
Steve Masters, Chair, and Diane Balser, Co-Chair
Advocacy/Public Policy Committee
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NOTE: if at all possible, we urge you to take the time to phone or fax your Members of Congress instead of communicating by e-mail |
To look up the phone/fax numbers of your senators and representative, [click here]
To send an email message to your senators and representative [click here]
The Background Section below lists which Senators and Representatives have co-sponsored these resolutions to date.
[click here]
| Sample Fax to Senators who are not yet sponsors: | |
| Subject: Please vote in favor of S.Res. 276:
Dear Senator ___________, I am an American Jew and supporter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, and your constituent. I urge you to vote in favor of Senate Resolution 276 introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). The resolution applauds the efforts of Israelis and Palestinians working privately toward peace and urges President Bush and Israeli and Palestinian leaders to embrace these efforts. With a real prospect for peace in the Middle East on the table, your leadership and that of your colleagues in Congress is crucial at this time. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS] |
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| Sample Fax to Representatives who are not yet sponsors: | |
| Subject: Please vote in favor of H. Res. 479:
TO REPRESENTATIVES: Dear Representative ____________, I am an American Jew and supporter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, and your constituent. I urge you to vote in favor of House Resolution 479 introduced by Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA) and Amo Houghton (R-NY). The resolution applauds the efforts of Israelis and Palestinians working privately toward peace and urges President Bush and Israeli and Palestinian leaders to embrace these efforts. With a real prospect for peace in the Middle East on the table, your leadership and that of your colleagues in Congress is crucial at this time. Sincerely, [SIGN YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS] |
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| Sample Fax to Senators who have already cosponsored S. Res. 276: | |
| Subject: Thank you for co-sponsoring S. Res. 276
Dear Senator ___________, As an American Jew and supporter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, and your constituent, I was heartened to learn of your co-sponsorship of Senate Resolution 276 applauding the efforts of Israelis and Palestinians working privately toward peace and urges President Bush and Israeli and Palestinian leaders to embrace these efforts. With a real prospect for peace in the Middle East on the table, your leadership and that of your colleagues in Congress is crucial at this time, and I therefore congratulate you on your co-sponsorship of this important resolution. Sincerely, [SIGN YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS] |
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| Sample Fax to Representatives who have already cosponsored H. Res. 479: | |
| Subject: Subject: Thank you for co-sponsoring H. Res. 479 Dear Representative ___________, As an American Jew and supporter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, and your constituent, I was heartened to learn of your co-sponsorship of House Resolution 479 applauding the efforts of Israelis and Palestinians working privately toward peace and urges President Bush and Israeli and Palestinian leaders to embrace these efforts. With a real prospect for peace in the Middle East on the table, your leadership and that of your colleagues in Congress is crucial at this time, and I therefore congratulate you on your co-sponsorship of this important resolution. Sincerely, [SIGN YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS] |
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TALKING POINTS FOR TELEPHONE CALLS TO SENATORS:
- You are an American Jew.
- You are a supporter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, and one of the senator's constituents.
- You ask that [your Senator _____________] vote in favor of the Senate Resolution 276 introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), and others in support of the efforts of Israelis and Palestinians working privately toward peace and urging the President and Israeli and Palestinian leaders to embrace these efforts.
OR - You congratulate [your Senator _____________] for co-sponsoring Senate Resolution 276 in support of the efforts of Israelis and Palestinians working privately toward peace and urging the President and Israeli and Palestinian leaders to embrace these efforts.
TALKING POINTS FOR TELEPHONE CALLS TO REPRESENTATIVES:
- You are an American Jew.
- You are a supporter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, and one of the representative's constituents.
- You ask that [your Representative ______________] vote in favor of the House Resolution 479 introduced by Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA) and Amo Houghton (R-NY) and others in support of the efforts of Israelis and Palestinians working privately toward peace and urging the President and Israeli and Palestinian leaders to embrace these efforts.
OR - You congratulate [your Representative _____________] for co-sponsoring House Resolution 479 in support of the efforts of Israelis and Palestinians working privately toward peace and urging the President and Israeli and Palestinian leaders to embrace these efforts.
The Background Section below lists which Senators and Representatives have co-sponsored these resolutions to date.
BACKGROUND
- Senate Resolution 276: [click here]
- House Resolution 479: [click here]
- Brit Tzedek v'Shalom Geneva Accord page: [click here]
- Haaretz Geneva Accord page: [click here]
- List of Co-Sponsors of S. Res. 276:
Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). - List of Co-Sponsors of H. Res. 479:
Lois Capps (D-CA), Amo Houghton (R-NY). Edward Markey (D-MA), James Leach (R-IA), James McGovern (D-MA), James Walsh (R-NY), David Price (D-NC), Robert Simmons (R-CT), Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), Joseph Pitts (R-PA), John Dingell (D-MI), Sam Farr (D-CA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Mark Udall (D-CO), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Charles Gonzalez (D-TX), Mr. George Miller (D-CA), James Moran (D-VA), Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ), Nick Rahall II (D-WV), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Peter Defazio (D-OR), William Delahunt (D-MA), Ron Kind (D-WI), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Brian Baird (D-WA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Tom Udall (D-NM), Hilda Solis (D-CA), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).