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International
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R I E F S |
June
2004
Israel’s Security Fence and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Using the automatic Arab voting majority in the United Nations, the
Palestinians pushed for a vote in the General Assembly requesting the
International Court of Justice’s opinion on the issue of Israel’s
anti-terrorism fence. Ninety states voted for the decision, less than half
of the UN member states. Forty-four member states submitted their
statements for and against the ICJ hearing. Of the forty-four, the most
prominent democratic member states opposed taking the case to the Court.
Only twelve members actually participated in the ICJ oral hearing that
took place in February, among them Algeria, Cuba, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia,
and Sudan, clearly examples of the most flagrant violators of human
rights. The IPA/OU is promoting two congressional initiatives supporting
the right of Israel to construct the security fence that will help prevent
the infiltration of terrorists. The resolutions, one in the House and one
in the Senate, condemn the decision by the UN to involve the ICJ in this
issue as an attempt to politicize the peace process and circumvent direct
negotiations. The resolutions state that the security fence is a way for
Israel to fight the unrelenting Palestinian terrorism of the past three
and a half years during which more than 130 Palestinian bombers entered
Israel from the West Bank. We urge our members to call Representatives at
202-225-3121 and ask them to support the Pence and Ackerman resolutions
(H. Con. Res. 371). Call Senators at 202-224-3121 and ask them to sign the
Schumer/Hatch/Clinton/Smith letter that supports Israel’s right to
self-defense and urges UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to withdraw his
support for the clear misuse of the ICJ.
Anti-Semitism Legislation and Hearing
Following on the Conference on Anti-Semitism held by the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe last month, the IPA/OU advocated the
passage of S.2292, the Global Anti-Semitism Review Bill, introduced by
Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH). This new law mandates the U.S. State
Department to report on anti-Semitic acts worldwide and to include
information on what appropriate action foreign governments have taken in
response. The gathering of information and statistics and the public
reporting of anti-Semitic events are crucial steps in both diagnosing and
treating the disease of anti-Semitism. Two related bills have been
introduced in the House by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of
the U.S. Helsinki Commission, and Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA) which
would pass a similar measure in the House. The IPA/OU is vigorously
supporting these initiatives and looks forward to seeing a House version
of the Global Anti-Semitism Review Bill passed very soon.
The leaders of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Representative Chris Smith
(R-NJ) and Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO), have introduced concurrent
resolutions in the House and Senate, H.Con.Res.425 and S.Con.Res.110, in
order to sustain the focus of governments on fighting anti-Semitism. The
resolutions urge all OSCE countries to unequivocally condemn anti-Semitic
acts and to create legal mechanisms to track and report anti-Semitic
crimes. They also call for the designation of a high-level special OSCE
envoy to ensure that measures will be enacted. The resolutions
re-emphasize the clear statement in the Berlin Declaration that
“international developments or political issues, including those in Israel
or elsewhere in the Middle East, never justify anti-Semitism.”
Legislators should be contacted immediately at 202-224-3121 and urged to
co-sponsor and help pass H.Con.Res.425 and S.Con.Res.110.
Betty Ehrenberg, IPA/OU Director of International and Communal Affairs,
testified at a hearing held by the United States Commission on Security
and Cooperation in Europe to assess the results of the historic April 2004
Berlin Conference on anti-Semitism. The Helsinki Commission hearing, led
by Reps. Chris Smith and Ben Cardin, examined the outcome of the Berlin
Conference and focused on what steps the OSCE can reasonably be expected
to undertake to promote the implementation of the commitments highlighted
in the Berlin Declaration. Also testifying for the Commission were Rep.
Tom Lantos; Minister Natan Sharansky; Jay Lefkowitz, Washington attorney;
and Fred Zeidman, Chairman, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. Other
witnesses included Conference of Presidents, AJC, ADL, NCSJ, B’nai Brith,
and Simon Weisenthal Center
Syria Accountability Act
The IPA/OU praised President Bush’s move to implement the Syria
Accountability Act by placing sanctions on Syria. Among the sanctions are
the banning of all U.S. exports to Syria except food and medicine and the
downgrading of diplomatic relations with Syria. An effort to increase the
pressure on the Syrian government to relinquish its ties to terrorism and
abandon its quest for weapons of mass destruction, the President’s
decision to impose these sanctions takes the war against terrorism to the
next step and strengthens the U.S. message that terrorism will not be
tolerated. We commended Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Rick Santorum
(R-PA) and Representatives Elliot Engel (D-NY) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
(R-FL) for their initiative and leadership in the creation and passage of
this legislation.
The Syria Accountability Act is the first act that holds Syria accountable
for its support of terrorism, work to acquire weapons of mass destruction
and illegal occupation of Lebanon. In addition to harboring terrorist
organizations, Syria has also harmed American efforts to rebuild Iraq by
allowing terrorists who have carried out attacks against American soldiers
to cross into Iraq from its territory.
Please thank Representatives and Senators for their support of this
significant and timely legislation. Call Senators and Representatives at
202-225-3121.
Middle East Congressional Vote
The IPA/OU lauded the passage of the resolution introduced by House
Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and House Minority Rep. Steny Hoyer
(D-MD) in support of the President’s April 14, 2004 letter to Prime
Minister Sharon. In the resolution, Congress strongly endorsed the
principles articulated by President Bush in the letter in the interest of
strengthening the security and well being of Israel. The resolution
reinforced the President’s statement that it is unrealistic to expect the
outcome of the final status negotiations to be a full and complete return
to the armistice lines of 1949. It restated the President’s announcement
that in order to promote a lasting peace, all Arab states must oppose
terrorism and state that they will live in peace with Israel and that
Palestinian refugees will not settle in the state of Israel. The House
passed H.Con.Res.460 by an overwhelming majority.
In a near unanimous vote, the Senate joined the House in passing a
bipartisan resolution calling for an end to Palestinian terrorism and
asserting Israel’s right to defensible borders. This resolution
reaffirming President Bush’s April 14th commitments to Israel was
co-sponsored by Majority Leader Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) and Democratic
Leader Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD). The passage of these resolutions
clearly demonstrates that Congress recognizes the need for Israel to have
defensible borders and the need for Palestinians to end their campaign of
terror. Thank legislators for their support of these resolutions by
calling 202 224-3121.
Iran’s Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons
The IPA/OU is pleased by the recent passage of H. Con. Res. 398, a
resolution that expresses the deep concern of the Congress regarding the
failure of Iran to adhere to its obligations made to the IAEA, namely to
stop engaging in activities designed to develop nuclear weapons. We are
supporting the passage of a similar resolution in the Senate, S. Con. Res.
81. In addition, we supported Congressional letters circulated by Sens.
John Ensign (R-NV), Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and
Joseph Crowley (D-NY) that urged the president to raise the issue of
Iranian nuclear capability at the G-8 meeting, proposing multilateral
economic sanctions if Iran continues to defy its obligations under the NPT.
Iran has been developing missiles that can strike any point in Israel and
will be able to deliver payloads of unconventional weapons. Transfers of
technology and expertise from Russia, China, and North Korea are enabling
Iran to accelerate this program as well as modernize its armed forces.
Iran is also developing the means to wage germ warfare despite having
signed the Chemical Weapons Convention. Please call Senators at
202-224-3121 and urge them to co-sponsor and pass S.Con.Res.81
Foreign Aid to Israel
By a vote of sixty-five to twenty-eight, the Senate recently approved
$2.64 billion in overall assistance to the Jewish state. The President
signed the bill into law which includes $2.16 billion in military
assistance and $480 million of economic aid. The House passed the spending
packaged shortly before adjournment late last year by a vote of 242 to
176. The legislation will fund all foreign aid and most domestic programs
through the end of September. Aid to Israel symbolizes America’s
unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security and gives Israel the means to
maintain a vital qualitative edge over its adversaries. It is extremely
important to show your appreciation and call members of the House and
Senate and thank them for supporting foreign aid to Israel.
JCPA Task Force on Israel and International Concerns
JCPA Task Force and board meetings took place on June 6-7 to review a
variety of issues that will continue to be important in this election
season. The meetings were attended by David Luchins, Nathan Diament, and
Betty Ehrenberg.
The Task Force on Jewish Security and the Bill of Rights and Israel and on
International Concerns dealt with H.R.3077, the International Studies in
Higher Education Act. This bill would see to it that Middle East study
centers at universities that receive Title VI funding would have to be
accountable and measure up to the standards and objectives of the Title VI
program. These include instructing and training experts for national
security service and educating the public on international affairs while
providing a diversity of views. At this time, many university Middle East
studies centers have adopted anti-Israel and anti-American perspectives.
The bill does not interfere with academic freedom – it will only make sure
that the Title VI program meets its objectives. The IPA/OU made the case
in favor of the bill both at the JCPA plenum in February and at the Task
Force discussions, garnering support for it.
The Sharon plan for the withdrawal from Gaza was discussed from the
perspectives of Israel’s demographic issues, the threat of a possible
one-state solution, the role of U.S./Israel relations, and Israel’s past
experiences of giving up territory without a peace settlement from the
other side. Also discussed were support for U.S. efforts to bring
democracy and stability to Iraq, the situation in Sudan, and the upcoming
tenth anniversary of the bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos
Aires, Argentina.
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