FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 19, 2009

Statement of Brit Tzedek on Obama-Netanyahu Meeting

Chicago – Diane Balser, executive director of the Jewish peace group Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, released the following statement in response to yesterday’s meeting between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
 
President Obama’s pledge yesterday to “roll up his sleeves” and be “a strong partner” in  bringing  Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table was welcome news for the majority of American Jews who support a two-state resolution.
 
The Bush administration’s hands-off approach has left Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy and, specifically, the two-state solution, on life support – threatening Israel’s long-term viability as a democratic, Jewish homeland. The unrelenting loss of life, the unchecked expansion of the settlements, the increasingly fractious Palestinian polity, and the ever-increasing despair, takes Israelis and Palestinians further each day from achieving the real peace and security the majority of both peoples seek.
 
When you weigh the ruinous effects of the past eight years of diplomatic neglect against the demonstrated success of 35 years of U.S. diplomatic intervention in brokering multilateral disengagements and enduring peace treaties, what it means for the United States to act in Israel’s best long-term interest is manifestly obvious. Strong American leadership is crucial in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and bringing about a comprehensive Mideast peace.
 
President Obama’s plan, touted on the campaign trail and reaffirmed yesterday, to provide U.S. leadership to bring about a two-state solution is within reach during the next four years. American Jews look forward to Obama’s pursuit of a policy that offers Israel, the region and the world its best opportunity for peace and security. At each step of the way, the American Jewish community will stand with President Obama as he takes the bold and decisive steps lasting Middle East peace will require.

Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, is a national grassroots organization nearly 45,000 strong that educates and mobilizes American Jews in support of a negotiated two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.