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Dear Obama Campaign, On Saturday, July 19, twelve people who care deeply about our country’s place in the world and its moral direction met to discuss Senator Obama’s Israel platform. Among us were four Protestant ministers of various denominations, teachers and retired teachers, business owners and political activists. Our recommended “corrections” to Senator Obama’s Israel platform policy statements follow. The changes aren’t comprehensive, but are a start towards what we consider to be a more fair and realistic direction. We fully understand the political realities that cause Obama to put forth the policies he does, but we fervently hope that his better nature may one day serve him and our nation, and that he’ll work quickly and with resolve to make a just peace between Palestine and Israel for the sakes of those beleaguered peoples and for our own country’s best interests. Here are our “platform” recommendations: Barack Obama Policy Statement: ENSURE A STRONG U.S.- Israel Partnership. Barack Obama strongly supports the U.S.-Israel relationship, a mutually beneficial bond strengthened by common values, histories, and dedication to democracy. Response: We question the “common values” given Israeli application of apartheid. We further question our own or Israel’s commitment to democracy as neither the U.S. nor Israel will recognize the legitimately elected government of Palestine, which is Hamas. We agree with former President Jimmy Carter that to ignore the elections and to exclude Hamas from peace talks is to turn our backs on democracy and to limit the possibility of peace. Obama believes that our first and incontrovertible commitment in the Middle East must be to the security of Israel, America’s strongest ally in the Middle East. Response: We believe that the U.S. government should represent U.S. citizens, that its first duty regarding security should be to U.S. citizens and not to Israel. U.S. security in the world is compromised by the U.S. government’s unhealthy and unquestioning attachment to Israel. Expressing his support for this reality, Obama delivered the message to Palestinian university students in Ramallah that the United States would never distance itself from Israel. Response: This disallows the possibility of “distancing” ourselves via the $10 million (or more) per day the U.S. gives to Israel, gratis. Withholding these funds is a means to ending Israel’s intransigence with regard to international law. Before the Palestinian elections, Obama asserted that the United States would never recognize Hamas unless it renounced its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel and he continues to insist that Hamas recognize Israel, abandon violence, and abide by previous agreements made between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Response: We submit that Israel must be held to the same standards, i.e., must recognize Palestine, abandon violence, and abide by international law. We further submit that Israel must in fact recognize itself by defining its borders and ratifying a constitution before it requires the occupied of Palestine to “recognize” the occupier. The Israeli-Obama demands for recognition are in opposition to international law, which, among other things, requires those under occupation to resist by all possible means, and which further states, among other things, that the occupier may not utilize the lands or possessions of the occupied. It is Israel that is out of compliance with international law. SUPPORT Israel’s Right to Self Defense: During the July 2006 Lebanon war, Barack Obama stood up strongly for Israel’s right to defend itself from Hezbollah raids and rocket attacks. [Response: We submit that Hezbollah and Lebanon have a right to self-defense just as Israel does.] Obama is an original cosponsor of the Senate resolution expressing support for Israel, condemning the attacks, and calling for strong action against Iran and Syria. [Response: Which, we submit, in turn endangers U.S. interests in the region for standing with the known aggressor, Israel.] Throughout the war, Barack Obama made clear that Israel should not be pressured into a ceasefire that did not deal with the threat of Hezbollah missiles. [Response: We submit that Obama should have been equally concerned with Lebanese children who are to this day still being killed or maimed by Israeli cluster bombs.] In addition, Obama signed a letter to the European Union pressing the EU to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. [Response: “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom-fighter,” as they say. Remove the root of the problem (which is Israeli occupation of Palestine, hostile flyovers in Lebanon and elsewhere, illegal invasions of neighboring states, among other things--and the cause for “terrorism” becomes negligible.] PREVENT Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons: Concerns about Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional ambitions, Barack Obama has been a strong voice warning of the dangers to both the United States and Israel that if Iran successfully develops these weapons. Response: Certainly we should all be concerned about the proliferation of nuclear weapons—but Iran to date, according to our own intelligence agencies, is not out of compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency and is not developing nuclear weapons. We are deeply concerned, furthermore, about Israel’s own undeclared and un-inspected nuclear weapons, and we call for a nuclear-free Middle East. Obama has been consistently outspoken about the growing influence of Iran in the region, especially Iraq, saying, “Make no mistake—if the Iranians and Syrians think they can use Iraq as another Afghanistan or staging area from which to attack Israel or other countries, they are badly mistaken”. Response: Israel has attacked Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt over the years. During that same time, Iran has not attacked any neighbors and maintains that it has no desire to do so. We submit that they are “rational actors” who are pursuing nuclear electricity, but that if they are indeed interested in nuclear weapons, it is to deter threats from Israel and the United States, having noted that North Korea has been removed from the “axis of evil” yet retains its nuclear weapons. Obama has called for stronger international sanctions against Iran to persuade it to halt uranium enrichment. He is a cosponsor of the Durbin-Smith Senate Bill, the Iran Counter Proliferation Act, which calls for sanctions on Iran and other countries for assisting Iran in developing a nuclear program. Believing that Americans must do more to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Obama authored and introduced as the primary sponsor, the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act in may 2007. Obama’s Bill makes it easier for state and local governments to divest their pension funds of companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector, providing the revenue Iran uses to pursue nuclear weapons and sponsor terrorism. Divestment is a useful tool to bring additional economic pressure to bear on Iran. Response: Divestment would also be a useful tool to pressure Israel to abide by international law and U.S. government requests; at this time, Israel ignores both. Senator Obama has conducted an active dialogue with a range of Israeli political leaders and security officials regarding Iran and the threat it poses to the United States and Israel. Response: Iran poses no threat to the U.S. excepting that of retaliation should Israel foolishly attack it. The devastation, the fallout (as it were) would be catastrophic. The Strait of Hormuz might well be blocked, and the cost of oil go beyond anyone’s means, and with winter approaching in much of the world. Further, escalation of war to the entire region and beyond is a risk/price that is too high. For these practical reasons alone it would be folly to attack Iran. The moral and legal reasons for not making another pre-emptive attack on a nation that is not out of compliance with international law should be obvious. SUPPORT Foreign Assistance to Israel: Barack Obama has consistently supported foreign assistance to Israel. He defends and supports the annual foreign aid package that involves both military and economic assistance to Israel and has advocated increased foreign aid budgets to ensure that these funding priorities are met. Response: Israel receives its aid in lump sum and earns interest on U.S. funds while the U.S. must borrow the money to gift to Israel, and must pay interest on it. This hurts all taxpayers. Additionally, he has called for sustaining the unique U.S.-Israel defense relationship by fully funding military assistance and continuing cooperative work on missile defense programs, such as the Arrow. [Response: We submit that Senator Obama should be more concerned about upholding U.S. law, e.g., the Arms Export Control Act, which prohibits the use of U.S. weaponry except for self-defense.] WORK towards TWO STATES living side by side in peace and security: Barack Obama believes in working towards a two-state solution, with both states living side by side in peace and security. Response: On the face of it, a fine goal—however, Israel has criss-crossed Palestine with its roads, imprisoned entire towns and villages, cut citizens off from their fields and their jobs, from their schools and universities, from health care and from family members, thus at this point making Palestine a Swiss-cheese of cantons and ghettos. A state is impossible unless Israel removes all settlers from Palestine as a start, cooperates on sharing resources and ceases all hostile actions against the population. Obama is a cosponsor of the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism act of 2006. Introduced in the wake of Hamas’ victory in the Palestinian elections, this act outlaws direct assistance to any entity of the Palestinian Authority controlled by Hamas until it meets the conditions of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations to renounce violence, recognize Israel, and agree to abide by all agreements signed by the Palestinian Authority. [Response: We repeat that Israel must be bound by the same conditions.] Obama signed a letter urging President Bush to make it clear to Palestinian leaders that terrorist groups must either disarm or be barred from the political process. [Response: Palestinians were disarmed in refugee camps in Lebanon in 1982, but were then mercilessly gunned down at Sabra and Shatila, men, women, and children. Why would the occupied disarm? It is a senseless demand.] Since the elections, Obama has stated that Israelis must have a true Palestinian partner for peace. He has sought to encourage Palestinian moderates who seek peace and to isolate Hamas and other extremists who are committed to Israel’s destruction. [Response: We are equally concerned about concerted and brutal Israeli actions toward Palestinian destruction.] HELP Palestinian Families get the aid they need without supporting terrorism: Barack Obama supports U.S. efforts to provide aid directly to the Palestinian people by bypassing any Hamas-led government that refuses to renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist. Obama believes that a better life for Palestinian families is good for both Israelis and Palestinians. [Response: We recommend reparations from Israel to Palestinian families who have lost loved ones or property due to Israeli actions. We see no need to bypass Hamas given that they have demonstrated commitment to charitable organizations and have diligently kept their word regarding any truce with Israel. They are the duly elected government of Palestine and have altered their statements to reflect current realities. We owe them the respect shown to other democratically elected governments, and should include them in peace negotiations.] LIMIT Hezbollah’s influence in the region: Barack Obama is concerned about the rapid re-arming of Hezbollah in Lebanon. He has called for the end of Syrian and Iranian support of Hezbollah via arms shipments and funding. [Response: Syria and Iran will not be concerned about Hezbollah if the U.S. stops arming Israel, which indeed has proved itself a threat to the entire Middle East.] Obama urged the enforcement of UN Resolution 1701, which demands the cessations of arms shipments to Hezbollah, a resolution that Syria and Iran continue to disregard. Long before the July 2006 conflict, Barack Obama worked to limit Hezbollah’s influence in the region, signing a letter urging President Bush to place al-Manar, the official television station of Hezbollah, on the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity list and to aggressively target organizations that aid in its broadcast. SUPPORT U.S.-Israel Research and Development: As a strong supporter of broadening and deepening the U.S.-Israel relationship, Barack Obama cosponsored the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation Act. This bill would establish a grant program to support U.S. –Israeli research and development efforts in the areas of alternative and renewable energy sources—a key step toward energy independence, which is very much in the national security interests of the U.S. and Israel. [Response: We believe that renewable energy research should be a worldwide effort, and not merely U.S. and Israel.] ACHIEVE Energy Independence: Looking for innovative ways to enhance U.S. and Israeli security through energy independence, Obama has pushed a number of Initiatives – from E- 85 to CAFÉ reform to biofuel. The purpose of these initiatives is to reduce U.S. dependence on oil from the Middle East, limiting the influence of oil-producing nations and increasing U.S. and Israeli national security.
We further suggest that the Democrats and Senator Obama should stop referring to “the Iraq War” and should instead refer to “the Iraq Occupation.” Respectfully submitted, Citizens for Justice in the Middle East
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