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

[Morton K. Brussel]

I wrote to Durbin on Monday using his web page connection, asking (for  
AWARE members) to meet with him in Illinois, so as to convey our  
concerns and to see where he stands on various issues. So far, no reply.

--mkb

On Jan 30, 2009, at 9:33 PM, Randall Cotton wrote:

> 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
>
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