David Bedein, The Center for Near East Policy Research Ltd. has put forward a plan
Background
The Bush administration has determined that – in order to serve its perceived goals in the Middle East – a Fatah-led Palestinian state should be established in Judea and Samaria. To that end, the US government has communicated to Israel the need to withdraw its presence from Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem , and is committed to providing aid and military training to Fatah.
This US policy is predicated on the myth that Fatah is ‘a moderate’ entity that can be relied upon; it is willfully ignorant of all the evidence to the contrary:
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· That Mahmoud Abbas was a deputy of Arafat, participated in terrorist supporting activities, and continues Arafat policies to this day.
· That Farouk Qaddoumi, who is to the far right of Fatah politically and totally rejects concepts of peace with Israel , currently controls the Fatah Central Committee and seeks even greater control within the party.
· That Abbas, as PA president, has been in league with and fostered support for terrorist entities such as Hamas. The culmination of a long Fatah history of cooperation with Hamas was the unity government. While that government disintegrated, there is solid evidence of a rapprochement being established now.
· That the Fatah charter to this day calls for the destruction of Israel via armed resistance, and that the PLO charter calling for Israel ’s destruction was never actually amended in spite of the pretense that it had been.
· That after the Bush Administration supplied arms, ammunition and intelligence to Fatah this past year, under the specious premise that it would fight Hamas, it was forced to watch helplessly as Fatah surrendered its entire American arsenal in Gaza to Hamas.
· That the PA, even under the Abbas aegis, pumps out inciteful material – in its textbooks and via its media – that is anti-Semitic, denies the legitimacy of Israel and praises jihad.
· That Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, which the US Justice Department determined in 2002 was a terrorist organization, remains a part of Fatah. Members see Abbas as their leader and Abbas serves to protect this group, even incorporating its members into PA security forces.
In the course of providing assistance and support to the PA run by Fatah, the US requires no quid pro quo and makes no demands: with regard to such matters as cessation of incitement, commitment to take out Hamas, or disbanding of/or total disassociation from Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades.
The strengthening of Fatah and efforts to bring about a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria in reality serve to undermine the security of Israel (and also Jordan ) and bring further instability to the entire area, including Iraq . Support for the terrorist-allied Fatah gives comfort to radical fiercely anti-Zionist and anti-American forces in the region; as was clearly the case when Israel left Gaza two years ago, a pullout from Judea and Samaria would provide terrorists with control of further territory from which to operate. This is neither in the best interests of Israel nor of the United States . The Bush policy is myopic and wrong-headed.
Approaches to stopping the Bush policy
1) The US Congress remains overwhelmingly pro-Israel and dedicated to helping Israel when called upon to do so.
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have expressed criticism of the Bush administration’s continuing coddling of Abbas, especially in light of the collapse of the US initiative to bolster Abbas only six months ago, which resulted in the strengthening of Hamas. And the administration remains accountable to the Congress, especially to its operational subcommittees.
However, because the government of Israel hesitates to challenge the Palestinian policies of the Bush administration, many members of Congress remain passive in their opposition to these policies; the truism about not wanting to be more Catholic than the pope applies here. Congresspersons are more likely to respond with vigorous opposition to the Bush policies if:
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· they have solid, cutting-edge information on the issues;
· they hear from Israelis who are prepared to counter their government’s passivity;
· and they are encouraged by their constituents to act.
2) Opinion-makers who have influence with the White House must also be approached. They too require solid, cutting-edge information on the issues and an opportunity to hear from concerned and knowledgeable Israelis.
3) Attempts must be made to alter US public opinion, which will in its turn have an effect on the White House, on Congress, and on opinion-makers. This should be done via providing cutting-edge information to key members of the press.
All efforts must focus on the ways in which current policy is detrimental to US goals and best interests.
Proposed Actions by our organization
1. Garnering of information.
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· Drawing upon the services of top-notch, Arabic-speaking journalists and investigators, we will compile cutting-edge, solid documentation regarding the Palestinian Authority as a terrorist entity.
· As Hamas intentions remain a key to understanding the Palestinian situation, we will, from our satellite office in Sderot, monitor Hamas broadcasts coming from Gaza .
2. Sharing of this and other information.
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· Utilizing a variety of channels, we will share acquired information with key Congressional staffers, key members of the press, and key opinion makers.
· To enhance efforts at disseminating the information, we will generate a website that will contain a wealth of information about the Palestinian Authority/Fatah – both background and current, and put out a timely Internet newsletter in concise format.
· On a regular basis we will bring to Washington DC Israeli experts on the issues – on the PA textbooks, on matters of security, etc. and hold briefings on Capital Hill.
· Additionally, we will hold press conferences to share significant information with journalists.
The Center for Near East Policy Research has considerable expertise in these matters.
3. Applying appropriate pressure upon Congresspersons.
We will mobilize the tens of thousands of American citizens who live in Israel – and in particular in Judea and Samaria – to reach out to staffers of their own Congresspersons as well as members of Congressional Middle East Subcommittees, to ask that they override Bush’s coddling of the Fatah. What they will communicate is that helping Fatah is counterproductive to US interests and would only serve to facilitate an anti-American and ant-Semitic Islamist entity.
This effort will be generated via Internet communication and town meetings.
Americans in Israel will, in turn, be encouraged to generate support for this effort in their original communities, among family, friends and synagogues.
Budget: September 15 – December 15, 2007
Three professional Arab-speaking journalists/investigators
to monitor the PA media $25,000
Investigators to monitor Hamas broadcasts $ 2,000
Expenses – stipend, travel, PR costs, etc. – for bringing
experts to Washington DC to do briefings for staffers
of the Congress and for the media at the National Press
Club– in October, November and December $30,000
Writers/editors/translators to produce material based
on information that has been secured, for Washington
briefings and the Internet update $15,000
Technical expert to put up website and supervise the Internet
newsletter $6,000
Administrative costs to the Center for Near East Policy
Research Ltd. $ 5,000
Felix and Yamit,
First of all Felix, I have never put the onus on the Israeli public or masses as you call them to do anything.
Politicians elected to government, be they the sitting government or sitting in opposition all have sworn an oath to uphold the law and protect the interests of the nation and people they serve.
Individuals have undertaken no communal or national duty.
Every individual however has an inherent duty to look after their own well being. When their elected representatives and government fail to do so, each individual has the right to speak out and when there is an election to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
Sometimes however the problem cannot wait for an election to resolve by voting out a government and elected representatives disapproved of. When the hurt to each individual is great enough and there are enough individuals feeling that hurt, it behooves those individuals to unite their voices, be it in the form of political action committees, demonstrations or the like.
My sense of how bad things have become for Israel as a nation and for the citizenry of Israel, with ominous signs that things are going to get a lot worse, if they will ever get better, is shared by a great many at Israpundit.
I have with that in mind simply expressed dismay, frustration and puzzlement that individual Israeli citizens still seem unable to act in furtherance of their own well being and join together to find some way to make their views known to the GOI and all MK’s that they have had enough and will stand for no more.
Yamit, civil disobedience, protest marches and demonstrations against the government is something most democracies experience when governments fall deeply into disfavor or certain of their policies affect a large sector of society.
It is not a tradition, but rather a traditional way the people do rise up against government policies in democracies. Apathy paralyzing the majority of society in the face of an unfavorable goverment or its policies is also not a tradition, but traditionally seems to generally characterize the populace, until something or someone manages to light a fire under them to get off their collective asses and do something.
I expect Israel, as a democracy is similar to other democracies. I believe there have been some demonstrations on certain issues, including economic or labor issues in the past, but there has been no collective anger with the governments of Israel on the issues that concern Israel’s very survival.
Perhaps Yamit you know what the reason is. Alternatively, maybe the Israeli public just have not been made to suffer enough to realize that if they do not stand up individually and unite as a group the suffering will only increase and at some point their very lives will be in jeopardy as the lives of those in Sderot and Northern Israel were last year during Israel’s war with the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Felix to say the Americans created the Israeli Elite is to give credit where none is due. No Felix in this we the \people of \israel and some wealthy and influential Jews abroad are responsible. If anything your Trotsky people and your Lenin and Stalin people are more responsible than any simple minded American.
This Israli masses are similar to American Masses. Promise security and a chicken in every pot and an automatic 40-50% will vote for it with too much deep thought about what it all means. 40% have no opinion on anything and will always go with the mob. That leaves 10-20% who can be persuaded one way or the other and thats what Democratic elections are all about . All the money and energies go to trying to persuade those 10-20% to vote your way.
Narvey there is no tradition in Israel for mass movements to change anything no matter how bad a pickle we may be in.
Yamit, it is a dialectical, and a two way process.
The US has created this Israeli elite. The elite in turn reinforce US reaction.
The isssue really is how to break out of it.
Bill Narvey places the onus on the Israeli masses.
I in contrast to that and really in opposition to that place the onus on Israeli leadership, and very specifically on Netanyahu and Feiglin.
They are the nationalist side. You are on the spot, can you say what they are doing, and can they be forced to do anything.
Do you understand what I mean when I call for a United Front among the nationalists against the collaborators.
If so would it work?
Do we need a revolutionary party based on revolutionary theory in Israel?
Narvey is correct as far as it goes. I believe that this was sharons plan and he convinced a reluctant Bush and Condi to buy intoi it. Add Sharansky to this Mix and we have a combo made in Hell. We can’t expect the Americans to be Holier than the Pope, when Israeli leaders themselves are at the bottom of all this crap. Then The Israeli leaders turn to the public and say (Guys we got know choice the Americans : our only superpower friends demand this of us and we can’t refuse without dire consequences). So the Israelis for internal and personal reasons dream up these scenarios, sell them to the Americans for a few pieces of silver, then turn to the public and decry unbearable non refuseable pressure from the Americans to commit national suicide.
Bill
You touched on a significant part of the problem. To oppose the various land for peace plans puts one in oppositon to the soverign GOI. The first step is for Israel to say “no” to pressure. When Israel goes along with these hare brained schemes they cut the legs of their allies out from under them.
I recall former member of the US House of Representatives Tom Delay said he almost fell out of his chair when he learned Israel had agreed to the road map to peace. In other words, he was shocked they would agree to such a plan. Had Israel resisted the pressure and said no Congressional support may have been able to be rallied to kill the road map in its infancy.
The flaw in Bedein’s otherwise feasible plan is that the GOI is going in the other direction and no one, not the opposition MK’s and not the people of Israel are doing a damn thing about it.
All the major Jewish organizations and AIPAC can hardly advocate as Bedein proposes, for do do so would mean that their pro-Israel advocacy would be anti-Israel GOI policies.
If Israel is to reverse course and to sway American opinion to go along with her, very substantial efforts must be made to light fires under the Israeli opposition MK’s to do something other then foot drag and shuffle and for the people of Israel to get off their collective asses and get down to the Knesset to demand the GOI step down and a new government be installed that takes Israelis in a new and more promising direction.
If the Israelis are only in need of a lighter to start the fire, I’d be more then happy to send them my Bic.
This looks like a very good plan. I would like very much to support this and I will do so. Getting the US to withdraw its support for a Palestinian state is an excellent start. The state of “Palestine” woudl be a major threat to Israel and the US.
While getting the US to withdraw support for the state of “Palestine” woudl be a great start, it will not be enough. Right now there is tremendous support around the world for the support of a state of “Palestine.” It is doubtful that the US has the power to resist this pressure. Russia and the EU currently have enough power to force Israel to make concessions even if the US opposes those concessions with all of its political power. The gvernemnts of Russia and the EU nations will need to be lobbied as well.