Last month I published a sharp criticism of Peace Now by Ira Glunts, arguing that they shouldn't have embraced Rep. Gary Ackerman over his recent statement about the West Bank colonies because he's been a kneejerk defender of Israel at all other times. While I often criticize Peace Now (for being on the AIPAC board), I failed to register the fact that Peace Now soon responded to Glunts's criticism. Apologies. And here is the meat of Peace Now's position, posted by Lara Friedman:
In a nutshell, Glunts portrays engagement with Congress as a
black-and-white issue: ”good members” who consistently say and do
things we like and therefore merit our support vs. “bad members” who do
not always do or say what we want and therefore have earned our
permanent disdain. This “you-are-with-us-or-against-us” approach is
not only wrong, it is self-defeating.
We make no apologies for applauding Rep. Ackerman’s February 12th
statement, delivered at the first hearing in this new congress that
focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It was a powerful,
constructive, and courageous statement reflecting policy positions with
which we agree. It would have been a significant statement coming from
any member of Congress.
Coming from the chairman of the subcommittee
that oversees Middle East policy – a senior Jewish member from New York
whom many colleagues look to for leadership on this issue – makes it
all the more so, sending a strong message to the rest of Congress, to
the Obama Administration, and to the public at large…
We believe it is essential to hold members of Congress accountable for
their words and actions, and we know that members of Congress depend on
us for this kind of input. That means not only letting them know when
we think they get it wrong, but also letting them know when they get it
right. This time, Chairman Ackerman got it emphatically right. He
deserves credit for doing so.
