April 12, 2007

In a recent letter to The Jewish World, Jack Lauber again distorts the message of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom and attempts to smear us by linking us to anti-Zionist groups. We have responded in the past to his unfair charges.
Brit Tzedek is strongly pro-Israel.

We believe that a secure state of Israel requires the creation of a viable Palestinian state. We believe that there are realistic and creative ways to work toward a peaceful two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Our current "Let's Talk" campaign urges dialogue in the Middle East and at home to reinvigorate the peace process. Recently we spoke out against a letter circulating in the U.S. Senate that opposed official communication between the U.S. and any member of the Palestinian Authority, including President Mahmoud Abbas. This letter fortunately was modified.

In his letter, Jack Lauber refers to the "Zionist Jews who returned as revenants to our former historic homelands in Eretz Israel." Lauber's goal of making Judea, Samaria and the Golan integral parts of Israel raises questions.

If a man jumps on the back of a hungry alligator because we have been given dominion over the animals, should we follow him? Are we not expected to practice, in addition to idealism and courage, the humility and self-disciplne of assessing reality to the best of our ability?

If a man chases after the vision of the whole Land of Israel now - ignoring the fact that there are 2.5 million resistant Palestinians in the West Bank - should we follow him? No. We should work for lasting peace through a two-state resolution, which assures Israel's security and well-being in peaceful coexistence with a Palestinian state.