June 30, 2006
By Russ Greenleaf

Preserve the prospects for peace.

That was the message that close to 100 members of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom (The Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace) delivered to Congress during the organization’s National Advocacy Day conference in Washington, D.C. June 18-20. The conference was held in the Cannon House Office Building and the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill.

Brit Tzedek v’Shalom is a pro-Israel Jewish peace organization with over 34,000 supporters and with chapters in over 30 cities including Louisville. (See www.btvshalom.org)

Participants in the conference visited the offices of their Senators and Congressmen, including Senator Mitch McConnell and Representative Anne Northup, and urged them to help restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Brit Tzedek members informed Congress that this is a pivotal moment in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that preserving the prospects for a two-state solution should be a legislative priority.

Brit Tzedek also asked members of Congress to request that President Bush invite Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Washington to facilitate direct talks between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Policy experts who addressed the conference noted that the United States and Israel have been ignoring Palestinian peace overtures for years. They believe that one cause of the election of Hamas was Palestinian frustration over the fact that Abbas’s many requests for peace talks have been turned down, causing voters to doubt that his Fatah party could deliver peace or any improvement in their steadily worsening living conditions.

Brit Tzedek had predicted that if the United States and Israel continued to ignore Abbas, it would weaken Palestinian moderates and strengthen Hamas. Conversely, Brit Tzedek believes negotiating with Abbas now will strengthen the moderates and weaken Hamas.

Polls consistently show that the majority of Israelis and Palestinians support a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict. In that solution, Israel would return to its pre-1967 borders, with negotiated border adjustments agreed by both sides. Adjustments could allow large settlement blocks to become part of Israel. The Palestinians would get an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza. Most experts agree that this is the only solution that can bring peace.

Brit Tzedek’s latest prediction is that setting borders unilaterally (without negotiations) will not bring peace, and may make things worse. The withdrawal from Gaza occurred without negotiations.

Addressing specific legislation, Brit Tzedek members asked their lawmakers to choose the Senate version rather than the House version of a bill known as the Palestinian Antiterrorism Act (HR4681 and S2370.)

The House version permanently prohibits US contact with all Palestinian officials, even those who recognize Israel and renounce violence. It treats moderates the same as terrorists and prevents the United States from playing a role in any future peace process. The bill cuts off most funds to the Palestinian population, possibly resulting in 3.4 million hungry, angry people on Israel’s doorstep.

The Senate version of the bill prohibits aid to Hamas, but allows aid to the Palestinian people and allows the United States to have contact with moderate Palestinian officials to promote peace.

Two other pro-Israel Jewish peace organizations, Americans for Peace Now and the Israel Policy Forum, joined Brit Tzedek v’Shalom in opposing the House version of the bill.

At a Congressional reception hosted by Brit Tzedek, several members of Congress said that Brit Tzedek v’Shalom is now an important pro-Israel voice in Washington. They noted that Brit Tzedek has a full-time Washington representative, is getting more media coverage, and is continuing to grow as an organization.

They encouraged Brit Tzedek to keep delivering the message that it is pro-Israel to be pro-peace.