Israel lobby J Street in the US is a mixed bag. Its recent statement on Israeli Independence Day is pretty lame and can’t even mention the Palestinians by name. There’s no doubt, however, that the Zionist lobby needs to be challenged.
But this statement, just sent to supporters, is an interesting document, an attempt to sideline Zionist extremists:
The battle lines are emerging clearly around President Barack Obama’s Middle East agenda – and we need your help.
The President intends to achieve a negotiated resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his first term and to address the challenges Iran poses through diplomacy.
His opponents, meanwhile, are trying to rally Congress to thwart his agenda. With one hand they’re opposing the President’s proposed approach to working with a possible Palestinian unity government; with the other, they are proposing aggressive new sanctions on Iran just as diplomatic outreach begins.
If you’re one of President Obama’s supporters on the Middle East, Congress needs to hear from you right now.
Click here to your representatives in Congress that you support President Obama’s policy in the Middle East – both on the Arab-Israeli conflict and on Iran.
Some in Congress may consider opposing the President under the false impression that that’s what Jewish Americans and other friends of Israel want.
They’re wrong.
In fact, over 70% of Jewish Americans support President Obama’s handling of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Middle East. [1]
Here’s what’s happening with the President’s agenda in Congress right now:
On Iran, the President is promoting tough, direct diplomacy to address concerns over their nuclear program, support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and threats against Israel.… The President has made clear that the diplomatic road ahead will be tough – but the chances of success won’t be helped by Congress imposing tight timelines or a new round of sanctions at this moment.
Yet, just this week, the Orwellian-named “Iran Diplomacy Enhancement Act” was introduced in the House – a bill that in reality does nothing to “enhance diplomacy” but instead imposes further sanctions on Iran, directly undercutting the President’s diplomatic message. [2]
When it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the President is moving clearly to promote a two-state solution – including support for Palestinian institution-building and for urgent humanitarian needs – all part of the proposal first made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to provide $900 million in aid to the Palestinians.
Not only will this assistance help alleviate human suffering in Gaza, rebuild its infrastructure, and revive its stalled economy, but it is also structured in a way that could enable the U.S. to work with a Palestinian unity government that meets relevant criteria, an important building block for advancing Israeli-Arab peace.
The opposition is going to be intense.… Just last week, for instance, Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) attacked the President’s request as allowing support for Palestinian “Nazis.” [3]
Yet, according to recent polls, 69% of Israelis and American Jews would support dealing with a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas. [4]
We oppose and condemn Hamas’ use of terror and violence to achieve political ends.
Along with the majority of American Jews and Israelis, we also recognize that resolving this conflict may require bringing those who have used violence into a political process, one aim of which is to end their armed resistance.
This strategy has been met with some success in Lebanon, where America works with a government that now includes Hezbollah, in Iraq where we work with the Sunni Awakening, and of course in Northern Ireland.
President Obama intends to reverse years of diplomatic neglect in the Middle East, aiming for nothing less than historic progress to finally resolve historic conflicts.
But President Obama needs our political support to put his agenda into action. That’s why – on both issues – we’re asking you to step to the plate now to support President Obama’s vision for U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Our success will depend on our ability to generate thousands of messages to Congress in a matter of hours – so, after you’ve taken action, make sure to forward this message to your friends and family that might be interested.
Thanks so much for all you do.