[Peace-discuss] report of Durbin's form letter defending Israel

[Randall Cotton]

Mort and I (presumably others) received this form letter via e-mail from
Durbin when we contacted him by e-mail about the attack on Gaza. My
stomach turned as I read it. Mort posted the text to peace-discuss a while
back. The vile text of this morally bankrupt rationalization still really
fries my bacon. At the last meeting, during New Ideas, I suggested we use
this letter as an occasion to request a personal meeting with Senator
Durbin (waiting however long, driving however far) to give the Senator a
piece of our collective mind on Israel/Palestine in general and this
reprehensible response in particular.

Mort volunteered to make the meeting request with Durbin (thanks, Mort). I
expect it would be weeks, probably months before we could actually sit
down with him, so we'd have plenty of time to decide exactly how we would
want to approach this.

A request was made that the text be reposted, so here it is in all its
ugliness.

R

January 21, 2009

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