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International
B
R I E F S |
April 2005
Global Anti-Semitism
This past year, though anti-Semitism was placed prominently on the human
rights agenda by many international organizations, survey data indicates
that one in 5 people in Europe hold strong anti-Semitic sentiments. There
are multiple examples of classic anti-Jewish ideology in the Arab world
and there is a strong and ongoing bias against Israel in the international
community. As then Secretary of State Collin Powell said in Berlin in
April of 2004, “today we confront the ugly reality that anti-Semitism is
not just a fact of history, but a current event.”
In its current incarnation, anti-Semitism is a global problem that
requires a coordinated multi-national approach. Two OSCE conferences –
June 2003 in Vienna and April 2004 in Berlin – broke new ground focusing
high level political attention solely on the problem of anti-Semitism. In
November 2004 the United Nations Third Committee called for the
elimination of all forms of religious intolerance, explicitly including
anti-Semitism.
Last fall, Congress passed the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004.
Signing the bill into law President Bush correctly observed, “defending
freedom also means disrupting the evil of anti-Semitism.” On December 28,
2004 the State Department prepared its first Report on Global
Anti-Semitism for the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees,
creating a solid documentary basis for U.S. policy formulation. The
Administration and Congress have been exemplary in their leadership on
this issue.
Yet against this backdrop of official statements and actions there is an
increase in the frequency and ferocity of attacks against Jews and Jewish
institutions around the world. These range from vandalism, arson and
desecration to harassment, beatings, stabbings and murder. In Western
Europe, traditional far-right groups account for a significant proportion
of these assaults; disadvantaged and disaffected Muslim youth were
responsible for most of the remaining attacks.
Authorities in Great Britain have recently reported a record number of
violent anti-Semitic acts and there are similar patterns in other
countries in Europe and South America. A most disturbing trend can be
found in Russia and other former Soviet Republics. Twenty members of the
State Duma wrote the Procurator General’s office in Russia asking for
investigations of Jewish religious and national organizations, noting
“Judaism was a xenophobic and anti-Christian religion that permitted
ritual murders. Many cases of this ritual extremism have been proven in
court.” Incitement of racial hatred is against the law in Russia but local
officials are more likely to dismiss such acts as “hooliganism” rather
than undertake thorough investigations and appropriate prosecutions of
anti-Semitic acts. Recent numerous beatings of Jews show all the sad
earmarks of official neglect. The IPA/OU continues to monitor events and
to be in constant contact with both elected and administration officials
in this important battle.
Anti-Semitism on Campus
Anti-Semitism and Israel bashings have increased dramatically on campuses
across the country. To help alleviate the situation the IPA/OU is
supporting the International Studies in Higher Education Act of 2005,
H.R.509 which is meant to balance the academic agenda by addressing flaws
in the Title VI funding program. The bill would make sure that those
purposes for which Title VI tax dollars are provided are served namely
educating, instructing and training young Americans for national security
and other government service and educating the public on international
affairs in a way that presents a balanced approach. To find out how you
can help support and press this legislation, please call the IPA at (212)
613 8123.
More...
Foreign Aid
Our foreign aid programs help insure America’s role and interests abroad
and support humanitarian objectives, security and democracy. The IPA/OU
thanks Congress for overwhelmingly approving $2.58 billion in assistance
to Israel as part of the fiscal year 2005 Foreign Aid Bill. This bill also
limits assistance to a future Palestinian state unless the Palestinian
Authority ends terrorism and undergoes extensive democratic reform.
Moreover, it makes it harder for Palestinian NGO’s to receive aid without
demonstrating that the funds are absolutely not linked to terror. Foreign
aid promotes peace in the Middle East, counters radicalism, and fosters
economic stability and security in the region. Aid to Israel vividly
symbolizes America’s unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security and
provides Israel the means to maintain her vital qualitative edge over her
adversaries, especially in light of Israel’s current economic needs.
Israel’s Right to Peace and Security
Congress has been in the forefront of reinforcing the bond between the
United States and Israel. In a testament for the strong support for Israel
on Capitol Hill, both houses of Congress recently passed resolutions
endorsing the principles outlined in the letter to Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon from President Bush on April 14, 2004. The letter affirmed Israel’s
right to secure and recognized borders reflecting realities on the ground,
including already existing major Israeli population centers; reiterated
that any final status agreement must include the settling of Palestinian
refugees and a Palestinian state rather than in Israel; and called for an
end to Palestinian terrorism.
The Road Map makes clear that the first and foremost obligation on the
part of the Palestinians is to dismantle the terrorist capabilities and
infrastructure. As Israel continues to demonstrate her commitment to the
search for peace at great personal and political sacrifice, the
international community must hold the Palestinians accountable regarding
the commitments they made.
The IPA/OU continues to urge Congress to condemn hatred and incitement
against Jews and the State of Israel in Palestinian media and textbooks
and in other Arab media. The international community must demand that
Egypt and other Arab countries play an important role in helping the new
Palestinian leadership fight terrorism. Egypt must meet its security
responsibilities regarding the Gaza Strip and prevent the smuggling of
arms through the tunnels into Gaza. Syria must cease its port for
terrorism which destabilizes the region and undermines any chance for
peace.
Israel’s Security Fence
Ideally there would be no need for a security fence. However, due to the
failure of the Palestinian Authority to dismantle the terrorist
infrastructure, a predominantly chain link barrier continues to be
installed to block terrorist infiltration into Israel towns and cities.
The fence does not constitute a permanent border which can only be
determined by negotiations; rather it is a temporary, movable measure of
self defense which has proven to be quite effective for Israel.
The security fence does not change the Palestinians’ legal status or keep
them from going about their daily lives. Regularly placed openings in the
fence exist to take Palestinian humanitarian needs into account and allow
for crossing into urban and commercial centers. The current route of the
fence, approved by the Israeli Supreme Court, has been determined by
security considerations. The fence has proven to be a very effective
component of Israel’s counter-terrorism measures. The IPA/OU applauded the
passage of the House Resolution condemning the misuse of the international
court of Justice which issued an advisory opinion stating that the Israel
security fence was illegal and should be dismantled. We are urging the
Senate to pass a similar resolution condemning this opinion. Congress and
the Administration should urge the U.N. to take no further action to delay
or prevent the completion of the fence which has proved so vital in the
prevention of terrorist attacks.
International Terrorism and Arms Control – Syria and Iran
The bombings in the subways in Moscow and Madrid, the massacre in the
school in Beslan, Russia and the murder of Dutch film director Theo van
Gogh are some of the many events during the past year that demonstrate the
deadly challenges posed by militant groups propagating radical Islam. The
nations of the world must band together to combat this new enemy of world
peace and security. The international community must share intelligence
information, increase cooperation among law-enforcement agencies and
strictly enforce international banking laws.
We support efforts for continued action in banning those that incite
hatred and violence against Jews in Israel, including destructive media
outlets. The IPA/OU encourages continued congressional efforts to add al-Manar,
the Hezbollah broadcast outlet, to the list of specially designated global
terrorist organizations. We applaud the House’s passage of the Resolution
encouraging the international community to add Hezbollah to the list of
international terrorist organizations and urge the Senate to do the same.
State-supported terrorism and the proliferation of conventional and
non-conventional weapons in the hands of rogue states such as Syria and
Iran threaten Israel and the free world. Syria continues to provide a
haven for international terrorist groups, supports Hezbollah and Lebanon,
stockpiles chemical weapons and missile delivery systems and undermines
U.S. efforts in the war on terror. Iran’s continuing efforts to develop
nuclear capabilities and its support for international terrorism threaten
a safe world order. The IPA/OU strongly supports the Lebanon and Syria
Liberation Act, H.R.1141, which calls for the strengthening of sanctions
and a diplomatic strategy to keep the pressure on Syria to get completely
out of Lebanon, stop supporting terror and end its weapons of mass
destruction program. These would include blocking World Bank and IMF loans
to Syria and for U.S. opposition to Syrian candidacy for leadership posts
in any UN body or affiliate. Please call your representatives at (202)
225-3121 and ask them to support and pass H.R.1141, the Lebanon and Syria
Liberation Act.
We support and encourage Congress to pass the Iran Freedom Support Act,
H.R.282, S.333, which would strengthen and codify sanctions imposed on the
Iranian regime for its sponsorship and support of international terrorism
and for its race to develop nuclear weapons. We also firmly support joint
U.S.-Israel collaboration and research and development of anti-missile
technologies to combat these threats.
More...
H.R.282 and S.333 would penalize foreign countries that invest in Iran’s
energy sector in the hope of choking off money it would use for its arms
race and would also provide assistance to pro-democracy forces within
Iran. Please call your members and ask them to support the Iran Freedom
Support Act, H.R.282, S.333.
More...
Sudan
In its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices of 2004, the U.S. State
Department writes, “the Sudanese government continued to support the
largely Arab nomad militia, known as Jinjaweed, which terrorized and
killed civilians and burned, raped and pillaged the region.” On September
9th the State Department formally labeled the inter-religious and
inter-ethnic atrocities in Darfour as genocide. The IPA/OU urges our
government and the United Nations to act immediately to help relieve the
situation and bring those responsible to justice. We urge Congress to pass
the Darfour Accountability Act, S.495, that would impose sanctions against
perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Darfour, Sudan. Congress should
also call for the expansion of international peacekeeping and relief
presences there.
United Nations
The cornerstone of peacemaking in the Middle East is direct bilateral
negotiations between the parties, without imposed solutions. The IPA/OU
continues to oppose all UN resolutions biased anti-Israel and other
discriminatory actions in the U.N., including resolutions which single out
Israel for “excessive use of force” and other one-sided measures. A global
campaign to delegitimize Israel in the U.N. and other national bodies led
by many Arab states, along with the Palestinian Authority and Iran,
encourages boycotts and ostracizing of Israel in other ways. The U.N. must
cease to be trivialized by political bias.
We applaud key significant steps recently taken by the U.N. that we hope
will improve the atmosphere, including the U.N. Conference on
Anti-Semitism held in June 2004, and the Special Session of the U.N.
General Assembly that took place on January 24, 2005 to mark the 60th
anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps. We also applaud the
passage of UNGA Resolution 1566 that states that terrorist attacks on
civilians for any reason are not legitimate and are considered crimes
against humanity. Another significant development was the inclusion of the
phrase “anti-Semitism” in the recent U.N. Resolution condemning racism and
xenophobia. We encourage U.N. reform and urge the U.N. to finally adopt a
definition of terrorism which puts the lie to the notion repeated in
various U.N. resolutions that violence against Israeli civilians does not
constitute terrorism. The U.N. should vigorously advocate efforts to
counter extremism and foster tolerance. We continue to urge the U.N. to
disavow UNRWA‘s claim that there is nothing wrong with the U.N. agency
employing members of the terrorist organization Hamas.
Israeli MIA’s and POW’s
The IPA/OU has long been in the forefront of the battle to secure the
freedom of the Israeli MIA’s and POW’s. We strongly support and encourage
the continuing efforts of Congress, the Administration and the
international community to secure the release of all the Israeli soldiers
held captive, and to secure information on their status and whereabouts.
In keeping with the sanctity of human life and the paramount mitzvah of
pidyon shvuyim, we value any and every humanitarian intervention on behalf
of the missing soldiers: Ron Arad, Zachary Baumel (who is also an American
citizen), Tzvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz and Guy Chever. 22 painful years have
passed since Baumel, Feldman and Katz were taken captive. We urge Congress
to implement S.676 and H.R.1175 of 1991, which mandate that the State
Department raise the plight of these missing soldiers in all relevant
Middle East discussions and report the findings to Congress. As the focus
on Syria continues to be sharpened, we call upon Congress and the
Administration to intensify all efforts to secure their freedom. Amongst
Syria’s many human rights violations is the holding of American citizen
and Israeli MIA Zachary Baumel hostage since 1982 without revealing any
information as to his condition or whereabouts. It is time that the U.S.
insist on Syria’s cooperation on the case of the MIA’s.
Why can't they be
home for Pesach?
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