There have been numerous diaries in the past few days on this subject, but I am simply urging one action step, which is to sign sign this petition, supporting the Obama administration stance regarding the Netanyahu administration’s policies regarding peacemaking.
This petition is addressed to Congress and is especially important with AIPAC and Netanyahu all coming to town to lobby Congress against the White House. We need to help Congress keep their spine and stick-up for real peace making.
Stand with the Obama Administration on Israel
Tensions between the United States and Israel remain high ever since Israel's government stunned Vice President Biden and supporters of the peace process by announcing new construction in East Jerusalem during the Vice President's visit.
Some hawkish pro-Israel activists are seizing the opportunity to attack the Obama Administration over Israel, urging the Administration to slow down and back off.
The pro-Israel, pro-peace movement is stepping up strong. Earlier this week, J Street leadership delivered over 18,000 signatures to White House officials demonstrating that large numbers of pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans agree with the Vice President when he says "sometimes only a friend can deliver the hardest truth," and urging the Administration to turn this crisis into an opportunity for progress on two states.
Now that the White House has heard us loud and clear, we're setting our sights on the U.S. Congress.
Click here to contact your representatives to voice your support for the Administration's strong stand and urge them to turn this crisis into an opportunity.
The Obama Administration can turn this crisis into an opportunity to tackle a core issue at the heart of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians - the need to establish a border between Israel and the future Palestinian state.
Too much time has already been lost in getting the two sides into negotiations. We cannot let any single provocative Israeli announcement of construction in East Jerusalem, no matter how infuriating, delay progress towards a two-state solution. Bold American leadership is needed now to turn this crisis into a real opportunity to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Click here to contact your representatives right now.
What the petition says (you can edit it as you wish):
I am writing on behalf of J Street, the pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby, in support of the Obama Administration’s understandable and appropriate reaction to the provocative Israeli announcement during the Vice President’s trip to Israel last week.
As a supporter of Israel, I favor a strong US-Israel relationship that is a two-way street - a friendship in which we can honestly tell our friends what they need to hear. As Vice President Biden said, "Sometimes only a friend can deliver the hardest truth."
We hope that Congress will encourage the Obama Administration to turn this crisis into an opportunity to achieve real progress on a two-state solution because it is a fundamental American interest and the only way to secure Israel’s future as a Jewish, democratic home.
Some additional commentary (just my personal opinions; not representing J-Street of which I am just a supporter, not management):
Frankly, in my opinion, this is long overdue and it would have been better if the administration had stood firmer months ago on the West Bank settlements.
If I was rewriting history, Obama should have gone to both Egypt and Israel and made the exactly, literally same speech in both places to both/all audiences. That would have been a powerful and useful statement.
While I think I have a strong record here on the need for the two-state peace settlement we all know is the only endgame and against the occupation and settlements, to the extent that the current protests in Jerusalem are about the Hurva synagogue, they are bizarrely off target. The Hurva synagogue is in the Jewish Quarter which will remain under Israeli control in any peace settlement. In fact, it was razed by Jordan when they occupied the Old City after the 1947 war, and represents a legitimate Jewish presence and control over Jewish Jerusalem and history. Protests against the expanded housing in Arab parts of the old city and east Jerusalem would make sense. And against the occupation and settlements in the West Bank. But against Hurva is extremely wrong and counter-productive. It comes off as a denial of the right of Judaism to exist in its own holiest and historic city. It comes off as a denial of the right of Judaism to exist in its own holiest and historic city.
But the real problem is the occupation and the settlements and the refusal of the current Israeli government to engage seriously in peace talks that actually reach results.