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Washington Wire

OU IPA Washington Wire - February, 1 2008
February 01, 2008

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Jerusalem Update
Reports from Israel this week have Prime Minister Olmert stating that negotiations over the fate of Jerusalem will be left to the very end of any negotiation process with the Palestinians. This, combined with a prior recognition by The White House that the fate of Jerusalem is the most difficult issue in these talks, is a mark of progress for our advocacy efforts.
We must remain vigilant and active. And we must continue our efforts to educate our friends and neighbors and people with whom we communicate in Israel of the value and holiness of Jerusalem such that the conventional wisdom in some circles that a division of the city is inevitable is laid to rest.

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Action Alert
To help stop the Bush administration's proposed $20 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia from going through, write to Congressman Tom Lantos (D-Ca.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and to Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fl) the Ranking Member of the committee to express your concerns with the sale.

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From the IPA
This week, the IPA issued statements, applauding President Bush for using his State of the Union address to solidify the Faith-Based and Community Initiative, and to propose a "Pell Grant for Kids" program which would provide federal grants to children in persistently failing public schools to attend a private school, whether secular or parochial, of their choice. To read the statements, click here and here.

The IPA released a statement which welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon affirming the right of parents to circumcise their children. To read the full statement, click here.


From Israel
A short video clip portraying life in Sderot has been posted online. To watch it, click here.

From the Campaign Trail
In an interview with Shmuel Rosner at Haaretz, Senator Joe Lieberman makes the case for Jewish support of McCain, focusing on the Iranian threat and the Israeli-Arab conflict. Read the full interview here.

Courtesy of JTA, you can listen to Democratic candidate Barack Obama speak about Jewish issues to Jewish community reporters.

Courtesy of CNN, you can watch former Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani speak about key issues to an audience at the Boca Raton Synagogue - an OU member congregation.



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Links

IPA Website

IPA Blog

OU Defending Jerusalem Website

Conference of Presidents' DailyAlert
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[This posting is comprised of excerpts from cited news articles and does not necessarily represent the views, opinions, or positions of the Institute for Public Affairs, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, its affiliates or its employees.]