From Politico: More than three quarters of the U.S. Senate, including 38 Democrats, have signed on to a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton implicitly rebuking the Obama Administration for its confrontational stance toward Israel.
The letter, backed by the pro-Israel group AIPAC, now has the signatures of 76 Senators and says in part:
We recognize that our government and the Government of Israel will not always agree on particular issues in the peace process. But such differences are best resolved amicably and in a manner that befits longstanding strategic allies. We must never forget the depth and breadth of our alliance and always do our utmost to reinforce a relationship that has benefited both nations for more than six decades.
A similar letter garnered 333 signatures in the House, and its support marks almost unified Republican support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, along with strong, but more divided, public Democratic discomfort with Obama’s policies in the region.
Signatories include key Democrats like Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, Chuck Schumer, and Robert Menendez as well as all but four Republicans, with signers including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, John McCain, and Scott Brown.
Majority Whip Dick Durbin, however, did not sign; nor did Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry and ranking member Richard Lugar.
The full Senate letter, circulated by Senators Barbara Boxer and Johnny Isakson, is HERE.
The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
United States Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Clinton:
We write to urge you to do everything possible to ensure that the recent tensions between the U.S. and Israeli administrations over the untimely announcement of future housing construction in East Jerusalem do not derail Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations or harm U.S.-Israel relations. In fact, we strongly believe that it is more important than ever for Israel and the Palestinians to enter into direct, face-to-face negotiations without preconditions on either side.
Despite your best efforts, Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been frozen for over a year. Indeed, in a reversal of 16 years of policy, Palestinian leaders are refusing to enter into direct negotiations with Israel. Instead, they have put forward a growing list of unprecedented preconditions. By contrast, Israel’s prime minister stated categorically that he is eager to begin unconditional peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Direct negotiations are in the interest of all parties involved – including the United States.
We also urge you to reaffirm the unbreakable bonds that tie the United States and Israel together and to diligently work to defuse current tensions. The Israeli and U.S. governments will undoubtedly, at times, disagree over policy decisions. But disagreements should not adversely affect our mutual interests – including restarting the peace process between Israel and her neighbors and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
From the moment of Israel’s creation, successive U.S. administrations have appreciated the special relationship between our two nations. Israel continues to be the one true democracy in the Middle East that brings stability to a region where it is in short supply. Whether fighting Soviet expansionism or the current threats from regional aggression and terrorism, Israel has been a consistent, reliable ally and friend and has helped to advance American interests. Similarly, by helping keep Israel strong, the United States has helped to reduce threats to Israel’s security and advance the peace which successive Israeli governments have so avidly sought.
It is the very strength of our relationship that has made Arab-Israeli peace agreements possible, both because it convinced those who desired Israel’s destruction to abandon any such hope and because it gave successive Israeli governments the confidence to take calculated risks for peace. As the Vice President said during his recent visit to Israel: “Progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the U.S. and Israel.” Steadfast American backing has helped lead to peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan.
We recognize that our government and the Government of Israel will not always agree on particular issues in the peace process. But such differences are best resolved amicably and in a manner that befits longstanding strategic allies. We must never forget the depth and breadth of our alliance and always do our utmost to reinforce a relationship that has benefited both nations for more than six decades.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Johnny Isakson
United States Senator
(Source: Politico.com)
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14 Responses
I wonder what Hillary will have to say to that, or will she misplace this letter also, like the one Israel signed regarding construction in Israel.
Please print a list of all those who signed including their email addresses so we can thank them and the list of those who didn’t along with their addresses and let our voices be heard.
G-d bless those Senators
Look at the first paragraph carefully.
It’s not about support for Israel because Israel is so worth supporting.
It’s really about supporting the so called “peacce priocess” whereby Israel gives up yet ,ore tangibles like land and security for more terrorism.
The beginning of the next to last paragraph confirms this by saying;
“It is the very strength of our relationship that has made Arab-Israeli peace agreements possible, both because it convinced those who desired Israel’s destruction to abandon any such hope and because it gave successive Israeli governments the confidence to take calculated risks for peace.”
In other words “Our power to force Israel into unacceptable agreements through which their country is slowly but surely taken over by the terrorists, would wane, if Israel would understand from the tensions between our two countries, that we could not care less about them and it’s really all about the land for terrorism, disguised as “peace process”.
These senators, certainly will not recognize Jerusalem as Israels rightful capital, will they?
I should have specified in my first post I was talking about the first paragraph of the senators letter when I said to look at the first one.
Oh and…That middle part of my quote, where they say;
“both because it convinced those who desired Israel’s destruction to abandon any such hope ” is just a throwaway fake statement.
Israels enemies, are far from abandoning such hope and everyone can see that (Iran for example).
They just wanted to make it look like their “support” is in Israels best interests when it so obviously, is not.
Thank you to all the people involved.
#7/8 – We’ll take what we can get.
It’s nice to see that despite obama’s obvious antipathy towards Israel,(along with Kerry and the others who refused to sign) most of the House and Senate support Israel.
However, they are NOT supporting ISRAEL out of any love for the Jews or Israel.
The majority of the House and Senate recognize that it’s in the for sake US’s security it’s imperative to support it’s only reliable ally in the Middle East.
mw13:
Exactly. I wish the support was “lishmah” but even if its not as long as the US govt support Israel that’s all that counts.
Hillary and Obama sold out the American people for money to all the arabs are they going to give back the money???
Boy, they are desperate for the Jewish vote!
Time to get rid of Chuck!
Your Sister:
And campaign money…
Interesting who did and who did not sign this letter. Senators from states with virtually no Jewish voters, such as those from Hawaii, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana, democrats, in fact, saw fit to sign. John Kerry from Massachusets, with a decent constituency in the Boston area, didn’t. Tells you something about John Kerry.