"Gaza After The War:..."(Part 4)

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday February 23, 2009 · 8:11 PM PST

2009/02/23 · 20:11

On February 12, 2009, the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia held a hearing titled "Gaza After The War: What Can Be Built On The Wreckage?". This is the fourth part of a series of diaries about the hearing. Part One focused on the opening statement of the participating Congressional Subcommittee members,Part Two dealt with the testimony of Mr. David Makovsky of the Washington Institute For Near East Peace, and Part Three involved the testimony of Dr. Ziad Asali, President of the American Task Force On Palestine.

The focus today, will be on the third panelist, Dr. Michele Dunne of the Carnegie Endowment For International Peace(CEIP).

rbguy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday February 22, 2009 · 6:49 PM PST

2009/02/22 · 18:49

On February 12, 2009, the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia held a hearing titled "Gaza After The War: What Can Be Built On The Wreckage?". This is the third part of a series of diaries about the hearing. The first part focused on the opening statement of the participating Congressional members, and can be read here. The second part featured the opening testimony from Mr. David Makovsky of the Washington Institute For Near East Policy and can be found here.

In this diary, the focus will be on the opening testimony of the second panelist, Dr. Ziad Asali, President and Founder of the American Task Force On Palestine (ATFP). The ATFP submitted a 51 page report prior to the hearing. Dr. Asali also submitted his opening statement.

rbguy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday February 19, 2009 · 8:34 PM PST

2009/02/19 · 20:34

On February 12, 2009, the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia held a hearing titled "Gaza After The War: What Can Be Built On The Wreckage?". This is the second part of a series of diaries about the hearing. The first part focused on the opening statement of the participating Congressional members, and can be read here.

In this diary, I would like to focus on the extensive opening testimony from the first panelist, Mr. David Makovsky. He is the Director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process, for the Washington Institute For Near East Policy (WINEP). His written testimony was submitted for the official record.

rbguy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday February 18, 2009 · 8:02 PM PST

2009/02/18 · 20:02

"It only looks like we're going in circles. In fact, we're spiraling downward. I don't know where the bottom is, but I know it's there, and I know it's getting closer every day. It will hit with shattering force when, through malice and terror, through shallow calculation and venal self-interest, through short-sightedness and through political cowardice, the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is finally rendered impossible.

The downward pressure comes from terrorism and the march of settlements and outposts; from the firing of rockets and the perpetration of settler pogroms. It comes in dialy images of destruction and the constant reitreration that "they only understand the language of force." It comes in the form of a political party that's always just a few months away from reform and in the form of governing coalitions whose chief purpose is avoiding new elections. It comes in the form of promises that bloodshed is what God desires and declarations that dirt and stones mean more than human life. It comes from tunnels in Gaza and from digging in Jerusalem as well. There is no moral equivalence between these acts but they are part of the same destructive dynamic." Rep. Gary Ackerman 2/12/09

rbguy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday February 05, 2009 · 8:53 PM PST

2009/02/05 · 20:53

"Conflicts are created, conducted and sustained by human beings; they can be ended by human beings. This effort must be determined, persevering and patient. It must be backed up by political capital, economic resources, and focused attention at the highest levels of our government. And it must be firmly rooted in a shared vision of a peaceful future by the people who live in the region. At the direction of the President and the Secretary of State, and in pursuit of the President's policies, I pledge my full effort in the search for peace and stability in the Middle East."
Former Senator George Mitchell, Special Envoy For Middle East Peace

On February 4th, Congressmember William Delahunt (MA-10)and 31 co-sponsors introduced the bipartisan House Resolution (HR) 130 supporting President Barack Obama’s appointment of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell as his Special Envoy for Middle East Peace. Representative Delahunt deliberately introduced this legislation before Senator Mitchell returns to the region at the end of the month so as to send a signal of support for the envoy’s efforts.

rbguy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday February 04, 2009 · 8:12 PM PST

2009/02/04 · 20:12

On January 28th, Congressman John Olver (MA-01) spearheaded a letter to Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton requesting the State Department release U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) Funds for reconstruction and humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza following the 22 day War with Israel. The "Dear Colleague" letter, assisted by Congresswomen Lois Capps (CA-23) and Barbara Lee (CA-09), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was signed by a total of 64 Congressmembers.

As a result of this letter, President Barack Obama authorized the use of $20.3 million from the ERMA funds to address critical post-conflict needs in Gaza. Of the $20.3 million in new ERMA funds, $13.5 million will go to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), $6 million will go to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and $800,000 will go to the U.N. Office for the Coordiantion of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

rbguy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday January 28, 2009 · 7:07 PM PST

2009/01/28 · 19:07

"All of the people of the Holy Land need to live in peace and security. We need to support and elect candidates that are willing to stand up for the rights of the citizens of Israel and Palestine. These candidates support measures to stop violence, increase economic and humanitarian aid, actively engage in negotiation, and promote co-existence among these two Peoples." - A Dream of Peace: Justice and Equality For The People Of Israel And Palestine ActBlue fundraising page

Today, Congressman John Olver (MA-01) sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton requesting that the State Department release funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for reconstuction and humanitarian assistance in Gaza. The letter was signed by a total of 60 Democratic House members. The text of the letter can be found in this TPM article

rbguy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday January 27, 2009 · 7:01 PM PST

2009/01/27 · 19:01

During the recent War in/on Gaza, there were many grass-root actions taken by people who opposed this War. There were protest marches, rallies, articles, op-ed pieces, petitions, and silent vigils to name a few. One avenue that did not seem to be playing a part was having grass-root support within the political system.

After conversations with several academics and community organizers, it became apparent that the pro-peace community needed to add this "inside politics" component to the overall organizing picture. As a result of these conversations, a fundraising page was created on ActBlue to support candidates who have worked towards supporting the peoples of Israel and Palestine. The page is titled, *"A Dream of Peace: Justice and Equality For The People Of Israel And Palestine"*. It can be viewed here.

Newer
Older

RSS

"Gaza After The War:..."(Part 4)

"Gaza After The War:What Can Be Built On The Wreckage?(Part 3)

"Gaza After The War: What Can Be Built On The Wreckage?" (Part 2)

"Gaza After The War: What Can Be Built On The Wreckage?" (Part 1)

Rep. William Delahunt Introduces HR 130 to Support George Mitchell

A Dream Of Peace (Congressmembers and President Provide Humanitarian Aid To Gaza)

A Dream Of Peace ("Dear Colleague" Letter Sent To Alleviate Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza)

A Dream Of Peace: Justice And Equality For The People Of Israel And Palestine