Brit Tzedek v'Shalom

Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2005
Contact: Jessica Rosenblum [email]
Tel: 312 341-1205 or 773 750-7873

Jewish Peace Group Commends Bush for May 26 Commitments

In a letter to the White House, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, commended President Bush and Secretary of State Rice for the strong commitments made to the Palestinian Authority to actively work toward a fully negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We believe that the President’s statement of May 26th significantly strengthens President Mahmoud Abbas’ position as leader of the Palestinian Authority,” said Marcia Freedman, president of Brit Tzedek.” “By recognizing the progress the Palestinians have made in political, economic and security reforms, and promising that the United States would be a partner to these efforts in the future, President Bush has somewhat redressed the perception that the President was not sufficiently supportive of the new Palestinian government.”

In a meeting with leaders of American Jewish organizations, President Abbas stressed his belief that only political transformation, bringing Hamas into the political process, can ultimately eliminate violence. Diane Balser, Vice President and incoming CEO of Brit Tzedek, who attended the meeting, noted that President Abbas said that in Palestine “there must be one legitimate government, one legitimate president, and only one legitimate gun.” His answer to repeated questions about terrorism was to list his accomplishments thus far, which, Balser noted, “have been praised by both the U.S. and the IDF.”

The meeting with President Abbas was attended by heads of a large number of American Jewish organizations representing a broad spectrum of views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “It is noteworthy,” Balser said, “that all present, regardless of views, treated President Abbas as a head of state.”

Dear Mr. President:

We wish to commend you and Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, for the strong commitments you made to the Palestinian Authority to actively work toward a fully negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We believe your statement of May 26th significantly advances the cause of peace and justice. We believe that continued direct progress toward this end will serve benefit both Israelis and Palestinians as well as all people in the region.

As you clearly noted, President Mahmoud Abbas has taken important and courageous strides toward the realization of a democratic Palestinian government based on civil rights, pluralism, transparency and non-violence. As a result, Israel’s security situation has improved notably since the declaration of the cease-fire; this is one of President Abbas’ major achievements.

Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace is a large grassroots organization of American Jews. In the name of our 27,000 members and supporters and 33 chapters throughout out the United States, we urge you to continue your efforts to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in accordance with the May 26, 2005 commitments. Public opinion polls demonstrate that we speak for the majority of American Jews in expressing our support for policies that will create a climate of trust among Palestinians as well as Israelis, which is necessary to achieve resolution of this conflict. We believe that this is the correct path to a fully negotiated final status agreement that can lead to long-term peace and reconciliation, a goal we fully share with you.

The Jewish tradition tells us to “Seek peace, and pursue it.” That is our mission as American Jews, and we hope it is yours as well.

Sincerely,

Marcia Freedman
President