Dr. Menachem Klein: A New Approach To The I/P Conflict

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Wednesday May 20, 2009 · 6:32 PM PDT

2009/05/20 · 18:32

On April 1st, Dr. Menachem Klein, Senior Lecturer at Israel's Bar Ilan University, spoke at the Carnegie Endowment For International Peace. The program was titled "A New Approach To The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict", and was under the joint sponsorship of the Foundation For Middle East Peace and Americans For Peace Now.

Even though Dr. Klein, personally, is a supporter of the two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian (I/P) conflict, he believes that Israel is presently acting as a de-facto one-state that rules all mandatory Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea in an undemocratic fashion. While many Israeli and U.S. experts believe that the main challenges of the I/P conflict relate to the ineffectiveness of President Mahmoud Abbas, the corruption of Fatah, or the terroristic nature of Hamas, Dr. Klein feels that the chief problem is the one-state control by Israel. Undoing this control, especially in the West Bank, is the key to resolving the conflict.

rbguy

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Saturday May 16, 2009 · 6:32 PM PDT

2009/05/16 · 18:32

This Monday, President Barack Obama will be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Following this meeting, the President will meet with Egyptial President Hosni Mubarak, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. At Monday's meeting, the President and Prime Minister will be discussing many important issues that are vitally important to the security of both nations.

According to reports, the President's agenda related to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict will focus on the need for a two-state solution, a reinvigoration to the stalled peace process, an expansion of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, a reduction in Isreali checkpoints, and a freezing of Israeli settlements. This past week, Congressmen Steve Cohen (D,TN-09), Charles Boustany (R,LA-07), and Russ Carnahan (D,MO-03) have introduced a bipartisan letter which supports the President's commitment to assert U.S. leadership in pursuing a negotiated two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as a comprehensive regional peace.

rbguy

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Monday May 11, 2009 · 7:43 PM PDT

2009/05/11 · 19:43

From Sunday, October 25th through Wednesday, October 28th J Street, the progressive "pro-Israel, pro-peace" organization, will be holding its first ever National Conference. The theme for this initial conference is Driving Change, Securing Peace and will be held at the Grand Hyatt Washington, D.C. The leadership of J Street believes that the installation of new governments in America and Israel provides the right time to make progressive voices heard in support of a just resolution to the Israel/Palestine conflict. The goal of the organizers is to have the largest ever gathering of progressive Americans come together and advocate for Middle East diplomacy and a two-state solution to the conflict. Recently, the organizers of this year's conference have released theinitial schedule of events, including panel and breakout topic discussions.

rbguy

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Thursday May 07, 2009 · 8:32 PM PDT

2009/05/07 · 20:32

"Failure to act (on the I/P conflict) would prove extremely costly. It would not only undermine current efforts to weaken extremist groups, bolster our moderate allies and rally regional support to stabilize Iraq and contain Iran, but would also risk permanent loss of the two-state solution as settlements expand and become entrenched and extremists on both sides consolidate their hold. In short, the next six to twelve months may well represent the last chance for a fair, viable and lasting solution." U.S./Middle East Project Position Paper (USMEP)

At the end of March, the USMEP released a position paper titled, "A Last Chance For A Two-State Israel-Palestine Agreement: A Bipartisan Statement On U.S. Middle East Peacemaking". This paper was delivered to President Obama from a group of ten former senior U.S. government officials who are Senior Advisors of USMEP. The President has signaled his intention to meet with these signatories.

rbguy

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Tuesday May 05, 2009 · 4:19 AM PDT

2009/05/05 · 04:19

Americans For Peace Now (APN) and Brit Tzedek v'Shalom (BTvS) have issued an immediate "action alert" to their supporters and all other like-minded "pro-Israel, pro-peace" people. Today, according to APN and BTvS, thousands of "pro-Israel" supporters will be on Capitol Hill claiming to speak for all Americans, especially American Jews. Since the views of these citizens, generally, do not reflect the views of APN and BTvS members or the majority of American Jews, it is important that Congress hear from those people who support President Obama's Middle East diplomatic agenda and a just resolution of the Israel/Palestine conflict.

rbguy

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Thursday April 30, 2009 · 8:12 PM PDT

2009/04/30 · 20:12

Recently, President Barack Obama submitted to Congress a FY09 Supplemental Budget Request, which includes aid for Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon, as well as a provision to permit responsible U.S. engagement with a Palestinian Unity Government. On April 23rd, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified to the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs of the House Committee On Appropriations concerning this Budget Request. Today, Secretary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates testified to the Senate Committee on Appropriations regarding the Request. In the coming week, both Committees will be meeting to "mark up" the bill. Since opposition to the Palestinian portion of the Request is brewing, it is important to contact your elected officials and ask them to support this important aid package.

rbguy

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Tuesday April 28, 2009 · 7:04 PM PDT

2009/04/28 · 19:04

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the nation's largest Arab-American civil rights organization, will host their 29th Annual National Convention from June 12-14 at the Hyatt Regency Washington Hotel on Capitol Hill. The theme for this year's Convention is "From The Grassroots To The Nation's Capital: Change For Our Future". Democratic Congressmembers Keith Ellison (MN-05) and Donna Edwards (MD-04) have agreed to participate on seperate foreign policy panels at the event.

On Saturday morning June 13th, Congressman Ellison will be joining Professor John Mearshimer and Professor Saad Eddin Ibrahim on a panel titled "U.S. Foreign Policy In The Middle East". They will be discussing U.S. relations with the Arab and Muslim worlds, as well as questions about the Israeli/Arab conflict, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the role the U.S. should play in the Mid-East region. On Sunday morning June 14th, Congresswoman Edwards will headline a panel titled "The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Pathways To Peace?". She will be joined by Israeli Knesset Minister Said Naffaa and J-Street's Jeremy Ben Ami.

rbguy

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Monday April 20, 2009 · 7:48 PM PDT

2009/04/20 · 19:48

I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an Emperor - that's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone, if possible -- Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another; human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there's room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way. Sir Charlie Chaplin in "The Great Dictator"

Tonight is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorates the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust. For this day, I try to find a way to educate my children, honor the memory of the victims, and avoid the more exploitative commemorative events. This year I came across Charlie Chaplin's classic, "The Great Dictator". Released in 1940, this film was Chaplin's first talking picture. It was, also, the first film of its era to condemn Adolf Hitler, Nazism, Anti-Semitism, and Fascism.

rbguy

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Tuesday April 07, 2009 · 9:06 PM PDT

2009/04/07 · 21:06

The Associated Press reported that two United States Congressmen, Stephen Lynch(D,MA-09) and Bob Inglis (R,SC-04), visited the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The two met with aid workers and toured scenes of destruction left by Israel's recent military actions during "Operation Cast Lead".

The Congressmen visited a project run by Catholic Relief Services in a heavily damaged neighborhood and a tent camp where displaced Gazans have been living since the war ended on January 18th. They also visited the grounds of the American International School of Gaza. This visit follows the recent visits to Gaza from Senator John Kerry (D,MA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Congressman Brian Baird (D,WA-03) and Congressman Keith Ellison (D,MN-05).

rbguy

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Thursday April 02, 2009 · 5:20 PM PDT

2009/04/02 · 17:20

Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance For Justice and Peace, is the largest American Jewish grassroots organization dedicated to promoting a negotiated two-state solution of the Isreali-Palestinian conflict. For Brit Tzedek, this means advocating for a U.S. foreign policy which supports Israel, the Palestinians, and the Arab states in making difficult compromises that are needed for a negotiated solution. Through on-line activism, national and local educational seminars, and local advocacy from chapters in many U.S. cities, Brit Tzedek seeks to educate and organize the American Jewish community for Israel's long term interest in peace.

On March 28th, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom released an action alert requesting its members contact Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding the need for strict enforcement of a freeze on West Bank settlement expansion.

rbguy

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Monday March 30, 2009 · 7:22 PM PDT

2009/03/30 · 19:22

Churches For Middle East Peace (CMEP) is encouraging people to advocate a strong Middle East peace message to their Congressional Members during the upcoming Spring Recess, April 6-17. With their largest district mobilization ever, CMEP wants people to stress the need for bi-partisan support for the U.S. diplomatic engagement needed to reach a just and lasting peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. CMEP is a coalition of 22 Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant national church bodies and organizations, which works in support of U.S. policies that are conductive to Israeli-Arab peacemaking and a positive future for all peoples of the region.

CMEP supports a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that includes an end to violence, security for the State of Israel, an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian State, and an agreement on Jerusalem that allows the city to be shared by the two peoples and three Abrahamic faiths.

rbguy

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Wednesday March 25, 2009 · 7:12 PM PDT

2009/03/25 · 19:12

On March 13th, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Research Institute (ADC-RI) released an Issue Paper titled "The Aftermath Of The War On Gaza And Israeli Elections: Problems And Prospects Facing Palestinian/Israeli Peace". The paper discusses the recent War On Gaza, its effect on the political situation, the continuing expansion of the Israeli settlements throughout the peace process, and the problems leadership on both sides pose to a viable peace process. ADC Policy Analyst Yousef Munayyer, author of this paper, intended to use this brief as an educational tool and resource to provide an understanding of the intracacies of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, as well as an avenue to discuss the ADC's recommendations for moving the peace process forward.

The ADC-RI, founded in 1981, is an educational organization that sponsors a range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans. They provide research studies, seminars, conferences, and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, government agencies and institutions. Below the fold is a summary of the paper, which can be found here.

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