[WCUSP] [Action Alert] Don't Let Your Senators Be Fooled!
Marlene Santoyo
marlsan at cavtel.net
Tue Mar 13 22:16:27 CDT 2007
An important phone call.
marlena
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From: AAI Alert [mailto:aaialert at aaiusa.org]
Sent: 2007 March 13 Tuesday 12:37 PM
To: Marlene Santoyo
Subject: [Action Alert] Don’t Let Your Senators Be Fooled!
Don’t Let Your Senators Be Fooled!
Nelson-Ensign Letter Is Not About Limiting Foreign Aid, It's
About Limiting Diplomacy
The Issue:
Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and John Ensign (R-NV) are seeking
their colleagues support for a dangerous and misleading sign-on letter to
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. According to a Dear Colleague letter
being circulated by the senators, as Rice "seeks to reinvigorate the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process," the sign-on urges her to "continue to
hold firm and insist on the three basic obligations outlined by the Quartet
that the Palestinian Authority must meet before receiving direct aid
"
The actual letter, however, goes well beyond the issue of aid,
urging "no direct aid and no contacts with any members of a Palestinian
Authority that does not explicitly and unequivocally recognize Israel's
right to exist, renounce terror, and accept previous agreements." The key
words are no contacts and any members. The new prohibition would direct the
secretary to sever contact with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and any
other member of a future Palestinian unity government. This is not about
foreign assistance or the Quartet's obligations. It is, once again, an
example of US leaders giving lip service to Palestinian leaders like Abbas
while cutting them off at the knees. The letter also repeats tired
assertions that while Israel has done everything in its power to achieve
peace, it has somehow been rebuffed by unwilling Palestinians.
The full text of the sign-on letter is included below.
Take Action!
It is critically important that your senators hear from Arab
Americans and all those who support a just peace.
For your senators office numbers, click here:
http://capwiz.com/arab/callalert/index.tt?alertid=9493911&type=CO
Call and tell your senators:
1) I urge you not to sign the Nelson-Ensign
letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice;
2) This letter goes beyond the issue of foreign aid and urges
Secretary Rice to sever contact with any member of a future Palestinian
unity government, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas;
3) I hope that you will use your leadership role
in the US Senate to advocate for US diplomacy to solve the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict and a foreign policy that projects American
values abroad.
Call us at (202) 429-9210 and let us know about your success!
If you live in: California, Iowa, Maryland, or Michigan ask for
Valerie Smith, vsmith at aaiusa.org
Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, or Virginia ask for Maram
Abdelhamid, mabdelhamid at aaiusa.org
Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, or any other
state, ask for Jason Assir, jassir at aaiusa.org
To complete AAI's other action alerts, click here:
http://capwiz.com/arab/home/
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The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary
United States Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Dear Madam Secretary:
Securing peace in the Middle East between Israel and
all of her neighbors has been a long-term goal of the United States—long
before and quite apart from the current conflict in Iraq—and we support your
efforts to advance that important goal.
We know how deeply the people of Israel long for peace,
and we are mindful of all the avenues successive Israeli governments have
pursued to achieve it: bilateral negotiations, multilateral negotiations,
and unilateral actions. Unfortunately, those efforts have yet to bring a
lasting peace, largely because there has been no viable Palestinian leader
ready to negotiate an end to the conflict who has the strength and
conviction to compromise and then to implement an agreement. This sad fact
remains as true today as it has ever been.
That is why, as you seek to reinvigorate the peace
process we believe it important to reinforce certain basic principles that
have guided US Middle East policy that we know you share. First among these
principles is securing the three very basic obligations put forward by the
quartet that the Palestinian Authority must meet in order to receive direct
aid from the international community: recognition of Israel's right to
exist, a renunciation of violence and terror, and acceptance of previous
Israeli – Palestinian agreements. So far, as a result of the international
community's firm unity on these obligations, this policy has had real
impact, with pressure mounting on the Hamas-led PA to do what is necessary
in order for international assistance to resume.
The pressure to form a Palestinian unity government is a
manifestation of that impact. We were deeply disappointed, however, that
last month's Mecca agreement negotiated between leaders of Hamas and Fatah
failed to meet or even address the obligations of the Quartet. Statements
by Hamas leaders since the agreement was signed only reinforce that fact.
While the agreement might have brought a temporary peace between Hamas and
Fatah, it had little to do with making peace with Israel and ultimately does
not serve the interests of the Palestinian people.
We know that there are already some in the Quartet who
are pressing for direct aid to resume. That would be a huge step back from
the peace process you seek to invigorate. We urge you to continue to hold
firm and insist that these very basic international principles not change –
no direct aid and no contacts with any members of a Palestinian Authority
that does not explicitly and unequivocally recognize Israel's right to
exist, renounce terror, and accept previous agreements.
We know that these are the principles that you helped
develop and certainly share. It is our strong hope that they remain central
to your efforts and to those of the Quarter as the peace process moves
forward.
Sincerely,
Bill Nelson
John Ensign
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Founded in 1985, the Arab American Institute (AAI) is a
non-profit organization committed to the civic and political empowerment of
Americans of Arab descent. AAI provides policy, research, and public
affairs.
Arab American Institute
1600 K Street, NW Suite 601
Washington, DC 20006
www.aaiusa.org
Also:
Letter To the Editor: March 12, 2003
Israeli newspapers report that a senior Hamas official has offered that the
Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Fatah will promise "a total cease-fire with
Israel, including a complete halt to Qassam rocket fire and suicide
bombings" if Israel will persuade the international community not to boycott
the new Palestinian unity government.
While the new Palestinian unity government’s ability to enforce a total
cease-fire is not 100% guaranteed, it is nonetheless in the interest of all
sides to halt the boycott and reinforce the new government’s initiatives
toward peace. The economic strangulation of the Occupied Palestinian
Territories is wholly counter-productive for all concerned. The United
States should urge Israel to seize this opportunity by calling for an end to
the international boycott and the beginning of a new era of dialogue and
diplomacy with the Palestinian Authority.
Hannah Schwarzschild
Jewish Voice for Peace - Philadelphia
jvp-philadelphia at lists.riseup.net
www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
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