High noon, they're calling it. The Israel Policy Forum is taking its stand a week before Netanyahu gets here, and trying to give Obama cover in the Jewish community to call for bold action toward a two-state solution because the moment is so critical. The ambassadors' letter that follows the jump here, which I gather is also being published as an ad in the NY Times, and which is signed by IPF officials, says, "We are in full support of the actions taken by your Administration during its first 100 days,"–i.e., we're realists– and calls for a freeze on settlements and an end to house destruction in East Jerusalem. Good.
Dear Mr. President, There is a broad consensus Accordingly, we are in full support of the actions taken by The contours of the two-state solution have been known for We believe that the present moment is increasingly We believe
within the American Jewish community and among policymakers in support of an
active US role in assisting the Israelis and the Palestinians to establish a
two-state solution. We believe that
this formula both advances America’s interests in the entire Middle East and is
the best achievable means of ensuring Israel’s survival as a Jewish state and a
democracy.
your Administration during its first 100 days in office. They are evidence of
your determination to achieve a two-state solution and exceed the reasonable
expectations of those of us who long for a secure Jewish homeland at peace with
its neighbors.
more than a decade and blueprints for getting there have been laid out numerous
times. However, we do not underestimate the challenges impeding progress toward
the two-state goal.
propitious for diplomatic action. Your election, and your first months in
office, have captured the attention of the entire world – including the peoples
of the Middle East – giving you latitude that few, if any, of your recent
predecessors had. The moment of opportunity is here and the stakes are too high
for the United States to allow any more time to be wasted.
that the coming weeks will be critical and we urge you to ask the regional
leaders you meet with this month to do their respective parts toward achieving
these five achievable goals:
1.
an immediate renewal of
US-mediated Israeli-Palestinian negotiations toward the establishment of a
Palestinian state alongside Israel;
2.
the cessation of Palestinian
terror attacks on Israelis and of weapons smuggling into Gaza, and an increase
in the number of American-trained Palestinian security forces in the West Bank;
3.
a freeze on West Bank
settlement construction, the dismantling of superfluous checkpoints and illegal
settlements, and the cessation of demolitions of Palestinian homes in East
Jerusalem;
4.
the immediate reconstruction
of Gaza with a focus on civilian needs, and the local economy;
5.
the pursuit of a
comprehensive peace between Israel and its neighbors,
including Syria, using the Arab Peace Initiative as a basis for
negotiations.
These ideas are not
new. However, they require your conveying them to the parties with a sense
of urgency – urgency built on a clear, immovable and lasting commitment to a
policy which is in the national interest of the United States, the Palestinian
people, the Israeli people and the people of the entire
region.
Your bold leadership can
rekindle a candle of hope for the two-state solution which has been
flickering. We stand with you and will do everything we can to help you
achieve this vision for the Middle East.
Sincerely,
Ambassador Samuel W. Lewis Ambassador
Robert H. Pelletreau, Jr.
Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, Jr.
Ambassador Edward S. Walker, Jr.
Peter A. Joseph Larry
Zicklin
President, Israel Policy Forum
Chair, Israel Policy Forum
Nick Bunzl
Executive Director, Israel Policy
Forum
What constitutional guarantees with ensure equality of opportunity for those not currently considered citizens of the Israel? What guarantees will there be of equal protection under the law for all residents of Israel and Palestine? Will Jerusalem be free? Who controls the American trained Palestinian security forces? Who pays them? Who has been elected to represent the people of Palestine and to whom is authority over Palestine given? If there must be checkpoints, make them of Israelis. At their doors. Who controls the money for reconstruction of Gaza/West Bank; redevelopment funds come from where? Are to be used where, by whom? Who receives civil revenue and controls it? (Add to the current watch of settler activity.) Who profits?
The latest on Obama: Can we call him "The Torturer's Apprentice"?? http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/whi... So the seamless argument goes like this: 'don't let anyone see the true character of our military and CIA because if you do, everyone will want to kill them. ' ..hard to take issue with this sensible assumption!
isreal stop?????????