[Peace-discuss] Fwd: Message From Senator Durbin -- P S

Wed Jan 21 23:07:04 CST 2009

Great answer, Mort, enlightening. Yes, I'll await input from others, but that's more than a good start. Thanks.
 --Jenifer

--- On Wed, 1/21/09, Brussel Morton K. <mkbrussel at comcast.net> wrote:

From: Brussel Morton K. <mkbrussel at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fwd: Message From Senator Durbin -- P S
To: jencart13 at yahoo.com
Cc: "peace-discuss" <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>
Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 10:58 PM

I suppose you'd have to go to the Temple to get a good answer. You might encounter there such folks as Paul Weichsel or Fred Gotheil, ardent defenders of Israeli polices, however perverse they might be. Ask David Green, an expert on such things. 

One could cite the financial and media power of the Zionist lobby, the favoritism  of major news outlets like the NYT to Israeli interests, the fact that those in Congress believe it to be in the interest of the U.S. to have a secure base in the ME, the relative silence, so far, of the U.S. Jewish community against Israeli policies, what are seen as common global interests of the U.S and Israel (as when we were overthrowing Central American governments, supporting rogue insurrections in Africa, or supporting Latin American dictators) and the general disinterest and ignorance of the American populace as a whole, which gives Congress an implicit license for what they do. Or all of the above, and more. 

On Jan 21, 2009, at 2:50 PM, Jenifer Cartwright wrote:

Naive question on my part, but WHAT accounts for the US' mindless support for Israel??? Jews are about 3% of the US population, and almost all of the ones I know agree w/ me about the situation in the ME.
 --Jenifer

--- On Wed, 1/21/09, Jenifer Cartwright <jencart13 at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Jenifer Cartwright <jencart13 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fwd: Message From Senator Durbin
To: "peace-discuss" <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>, "Brussel Morton K." <mkbrussel at comcast.net>
Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 2:46 PM

Criminy. Even once-Senator Obama's resonse wasn't that appalling. Isn't there a form letter for appeasing the other side, i e us??
 --Jenifer

--- On Wed, 1/21/09, Brussel Morton K. <mkbrussel at comcast.net> wrote:

From: Brussel Morton K. <mkbrussel at comcast.net>
Subject: [Peace-discuss] Fwd: Message From Senator Durbin
To: "peace-discuss" <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>
Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 12:40 PM

I guess my letter got put into the wrong bin… --mkb

Begin forwarded message:

From: Correspondence_Reply at durbin.senate.gov
Date: January 21, 2009 10:23:55 AM CST
To: mkb3 at mac.com
Subject: Message From Senator Durbin

January 21, 2009

Mr. M. K. Brussel
2003 S George Huff Dr
Urbana, IL 61801

Dear Mr. Brussel:

Thank you for contacting me about U.S. support for Israel. I appreciate hearing from you and share your concern for Israel's security and the safety of its citizens.

Israel has endured many years of suffering as ordinary citizens, many of them children, have lost their lives to hatred and terrorist violence. No cause or grievance can justify the deliberate killing of innocent civilians.

Israel has a right to defend itself from rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist threats. I was an original cosponsor of S. Res. 10, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent on January 8, 2009. This resolution recognizes the right of Israel to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and reaffirms the United States' support for Israel in its battle with Hamas. It also recognizes the importance of United States support for and involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Israel remains the most important U.S. ally in the Middle East and the only multi-party democratic state in the region. I am proud to have been a strong supporter of Israel throughout my service in Congress. The strong and stable friendship between our two countries, built on a solid foundation of shared values, mutual assistance, and trust, is in the fundamental interest of the United States as well as Israel.

Since World War II, the United States has given Israel more assistance than any other country, and Israel was the largest annual recipient of U.S. foreign assistance from 1976 through 2004. Since 1985, the United States has provided nearly $3 billion a year to Israel.On August 13, 2007, representatives of the American and Israeli governments signed a 10-year, $30 billion aid package. The agreement calls for annual increases in military assistance to Israel, reaching $3.1 billion a year by Fiscal Year 2018.

The Israeli people deserve safety and security. Palestinians should have a safe and sovereign homeland and a voice in deciding their own destiny. But these goals for Palestinians cannot be achieved at the expense of Israel's sovereignty or the safety of its citizens. The establishment of a Palestinian state must come through peaceful negotiations, not violence.

I am pleased that President Obama has repeatedly stated that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be a top priority for his administration and I continue to hope that the Israeli and Palestinian governments can reach a mutual agreement that will bring peace and stability to the region. In the long run there is no alternative.

I am monitoring this situation closely and will continue to stand firm in my support for Israel. Thank you again for your message. Please feel free to stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

RJD/ds

_______________________________________________
Peace-discuss mailing list
Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/peace-discuss/attachments/20090121/1cb622cc/attachment.html