Activism

House committee advances bill to make Israel ‘major strategic partner’–and waive visas for Israelis

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When Congress headed home for the holidays last year, activists celebrated because a bill that effectively gave American blessing to discrimination against travelers to Israel wasn’t voted on. A month later, the bill is back–though the version that passed a House committee does not include much criticized exemptions for Israel’s participation in the visa-waiver program.

Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted unanimously for the bill that designates Israel as a “major strategic partner” and waives visa requirements for Israelis who visit the U.S.  “During this volatile time across the Middle East, this bill signals that the U.S. Congress continues to support the people of Israel and reaffirms our commitment to seek new paths to improve our bilateral relationship,” Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the hawkish Republican chair of the committee, said in a statement.  The legislation is a major priority for the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, and has an overwhelming majority of politicians backing it.

The Senate version of the bill created an uproar last year because it would induct Israel into the visa program–giving both Americans and Israelis visa-free travel to each others’ countries–with an exception for travelers “jeopardizing the security of the State of Israel.”  Given that Arab-Americans face harassment and have been denied entry for “security reasons” without evidence by Israel, groups like the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, the Arab-American Institute and more fought hard against the language.  A Congressional letter signed by 16 officials expressed concern that Israel was “disproportionately singling out, detaining and denying entry to Arab and Muslim Americans,” and the Obama administration shared those concerns, according to the Associated Press.

But the House version does not contain the Senate’s language.  Still, the measure, which has widespread support, seems likely to pass with other provisions that activists for Palestinian rights see as deeply problematic.

The backdrop to today’s House hearing was continued assertions that the Senate bill, authored by Barbara Boxer, would codify discrimination against Arab- and Palestinian-American travelers, as well as activists on their way to the West Bank, who also face denials of entry.  Ros-Lehtinen, sensitive to that criticism, called those claims “misinformation.”  And during the hearing, Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California, also pushed back against the discrimination charge–despite ample evidence that people like Palestinian-Americans Nour Joudah and Sandra Tamari have been turned away from Israel for no reason.

“Israel does not discriminate against Arab-Americans.  There has been this effort by anti-Israel extremists to accuse Israel of that,” Sherman said.  “We have a no-fly list, they have a no-enter list, and those associated with Islamic extremism tend to find their name on both.” The California Democrat added: “My hope is that in conference this bill will be amended to help Israel achieve full participation in the visa waiver program…When they [Israelis] want to see Mickey Mouse, they should see the real one.” Watch the full House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on this bill here, starting at 52:27:

Mike Coogan, the legislative coordinator for the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, told me that he remains concerned about denials of entry–even if the House language prevails in the final version that both legislative bodies pass.  “I am concerned that Congress will shield Israel from accountability when it comes to enforcing the standards and requirements of Israel’s participation in the Visa Waiver Program.  Unfortunately, members of Congress have a pattern of singling out Israel for impunity, even when Israel consistently and flagrantly violates U.S. laws and treaty obligations,” Coogan said.

The U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, along with other groups, also sought to convince officials to insert these amendments: that Israel provide “U.S. citizens with reciprocal visa waivers” and that Congress document “incidents of Israel denying entry to U.S. citizens, especially when such denial of entry appears to be motivated by the race, ethnicity, religion, or political opinion of U.S. citizens.” The amendments were not included in the legislation that passed today.

Coogan also criticized the designation of Israel as a “major strategic partner”–a one of a kind term that applies to no other country.  The bill’s language does not specify what exactly it means to be a “major strategic partner.”

“Many see this as an attempt by Israel to secure a mutual defense treaty without the debate about what the implications of that would mean,” said Coogan, who also pointed out that the legislation calls for providing Israel with advanced combat aircraft and military tanker transports–equipment that would be of use in a potential war with Iran.

Beyond this bill, the issue of Israel’s denial of entries continues to make waves. The Christian Peacemakers Team, a group that monitors Israeli soldiers in occupied Hebron, recently filed a brief with the Israeli High Court charging that Israel denies entry to its members. And the Modern Language Association’s delegates passed a resolution at their latest conference criticizing Israel’s denial of entries to academics invited to Palestinian universities.

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Im so jealous. I wish our legislators were as efficient advocating for Americans as they are for Israel. They should attach a benefit for Israel to every bill to get anything done.

Another house democrat signed on to bill in the last couple of days, when those supporting it with their signatures was 350 out of a total of 435 last time I looked. This bill, in its lack of mutual reciprocity, reminds me of America’s very first FTA, which was with (who else?) Israel, in 1985. The US negotiation team back in 1985 was sabotaged by American Jewish spies who turned over all the data the US negotiation team had from its impacted business to the Israeli negotiation team. US lost out big time, and has American politicians have never corrected this lop-sided bill, and I fear it will be the same for subject bill here. Everytime one looks into any deal with Israel, it’s always the USA which comes out the one screwed in the tukas, and nobody ever does anything about it. This time will be no different.

The hounding of Congress by AIPAC looking for over-the-top special considerations and privileges for Israel is a typical Jewish thing. It appears to be based on financial control of Jewish contributions to Congress. Or am I wrong ? Do other organizations do the same for other foreign countries with the same successes? I think that it is an ugly and disturbing sight that putrefies our democracy. If Israel wants to be treated like a civilized Western European country then they need to start acting like one.

It’s way beyond lipstick on the pig
It’s botox injections

What the hell makes Israel the sole “major strategic partner” of America? Israel’s not even an American strategic asset compared to England, France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, to name just a few. And none of those countries come with horrible baggage in the form of apartheid and occupation. When’s the last time, the IDF was in the foxhole with America? Never! When’s the last time Israel was not a drain on US resources? Never! When’s the last time Israel helped America’s good reputation in the world? Never! Is there no limit to what American politicians won’t do against the best of the American people just to gain AIPAC’s favor? Seems the skies the limit, that sky that sees no space between enlightened America and religion-ethnic Israel.

http://idsa.in/askanexpert/majorstrategicpartneroftheUnitedStates

Even backward Saudi Arabia and the backward Arab oil statelets have a better claim on being a USA key strategic asset–solely because they at least have oil and gas to offer. When Bush’s coalition attacked Iraq, the US had to expend extra power and money to protect Israel, and that country gave nothing to the coalition cause. Dick and Jane, awake! The only real beneficiary of US war on Iraq was Israel. It sure was not Dick and Jane.