[Peace-discuss] Did Meeks renege on leveraging U.S. aid against annexation of the West Bank?

[Robert Naiman]

Did Meeks renege?

The groups should press Meeks to clarify.

"How long will you waver between two opinions?"

Compare:

https://jewishinsider.com/2020/08/meeks-u-s-commitment-to-israel-aid-is-absolute-and-unequivocal/

Meeks: U.S. commitment to Israel aid is *‘absolute and unequivocal’*
Rep. Gregory Meeks, who is competing for the House Foreign Affairs
Committee’s chairmanship, said on an AJC call that *he opposes conditioning
aid to Israel*

By Jacob Kornbluh
August 20, 2020

*Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) expressed his firm opposition on Thursday to
conditioning U.S. assistance to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s government unilaterally annexes portions of the West Bank.*

“We know the extreme importance in the region to make sure that Israel has
the right to defend itself — and the dollars that we give Israel to defend
itself is *absolute and unequivocal*,” Meeks said in a Zoom call hosted by
the American Jewish Committee.

Meeks is competing
<https://jewishinsider.com/2020/07/race-to-succeed-defeated-house-foreign-affairs-chair-eliot-engel-heats-up/>
with
Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Joaquín Castro (D-TX) for the chairmanship of
the House Foreign Affairs Committee, following the defeat of current
chairman Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) in New York’s Democratic primary.

Earlier this month, The Times of Israel reported that — following a public
lobbying effort from J Street and other groups — *all three
candidates expressed support
<https://www.timesofisrael.com/dems-seeking-house-foreign-affairs-job-would-restrict-israel-aid-over-annexation/>
for
a measure
<http://jewishinsider.com/2020/07/sen-chris-van-hollen-suggests-demarcating-u-s-aid-to-israel/>
that
would prohibit Israel from using U.S. military assistance to unilaterally
annex parts of the West Bank*.

“Of course there are disputes in regards to policy, in regards to some of
the things that President [Donald] Trump has done, and some of the things
and some of the issues that Prime Minister Netanyahu has done, and so we
have the ability to talk about that,” Meeks stressed. “But we understand
that Israel has a right to defend itself, our strong ally — in a bipartisan
way. We stand strong in that regard.”

[...]

===============

https://www.timesofisrael.com/dems-seeking-house-foreign-affairs-job-would-restrict-israel-aid-over-annexation/

*Dems seeking House foreign affairs job would restrict Israel aid over
annexation*

*All 3 candidates running to chair powerful committee say American
assistance shouldn’t go toward Israel annexing parts of West Bank,
signaling growing Democratic support for idea*

By ERIC CORTELLESSA

7 August 2020, 11:30 pm

WASHINGTON — *All three of the Democratic congressmen running to chair the
powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee support either restricting or
leveraging American aid to Israel as a form of opposing Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to annex parts of the West Bank.*

In separate statements to The Times of Israel this week, California Rep.
Brad Sherman, Texas Rep. Joaquín Castro, and *New York Rep. Gregory Meeks*
each indicated that US military aid should not be used on Israeli
annexation moves.

The statements from the three Democrats vying to become the next top House
lawmaker on foreign affairs signal a growing tide of mainstream Democratic
elected officials *who support the use of aid restrictions to influence
Israeli actions and policy*.

*“I oppose any use of American taxpayer dollars to implement the Annexation
Plan or to build any permanent Israeli installation in the West Bank or
Gaza,” said Sherman, a longtime ally of the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC).*

Castro also suggested that there should be restrictions on how the annual
$3.8 billion in assistance to Israel is used.

*“Not a penny of US taxpayer money should subsidize or enable any
unilateral annexation of parts of the West Bank,”* he said. “Under a
two-state approach, America has a responsibility to be an arbiter of peace,
which means we need trust and credibility with both Israelis and
Palestinians.”

*Meeks, for his part, stated that America should be willing to leverage aid
to Israel over the issue.*

“Annexation is anathema to a two state solution, and *America cannot be
used by its proponents to justify a pro-annexation position or policy,”* he
said. “On the contrary, *the United States must be explicit in our
opposition by applying pressure against Netanyahu should he annex
territory, including leveraging US aid.*”

[...]
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