Constituent of Rep. Barney Frank,

Please join other Brit Tzedek members and supporters who are constituents of Rep. Barney Frank in thanking him for his recent communication to President Obama about settlements on the West Bank. 

Rep. Frank wrote a letter to President Obama on June 2 to explain why he was unwilling to sign the recent AIPAC-initiated Hoyer-Cantor letter in support of the President’s work toward Middle East peace.  While he agreed with most of that letter’s message, he objected to its call not to publicly discuss areas of agreement and disagreement between the U.S. and Israel. 

In his letter, Rep. Frank strongly emphasized the importance of letting the Israeli public know that there is disagreement within both the U.S. government and its citizenry about how to deal with the issue of West Bank settlements.  He thinks that the settlements issue is a key point of vulnerability for Israel in terms of American support and that the Israeli public needs to know this.  Rather than undermining the special relationship between the two countries, the congressman writes that a public airing of differences such as those regarding settlements speaks to the democratic nature of both countries and that a strong, friendly, and mature cooperation gains strength when the two parties are honest with each other about differences.

Brit Tzedek applauds Rep. Frank for strongly and clearly articulating his convictions and informing the President of his view that Israelis need to hear that the settlements are a major concern for the U.S.

Please thank him for his stand and his action, which should help reinforce the Administration’s approach in working with the parties toward a negotiated two-state solution.

B'Shalom,
David Strauss, Massachusetts 4^th Congressional District Advocacy Coordinator
Bonnie Alpert, Co-Chair, Advocacy Committee
Donna Spiegelman, Chair, Boston Chapter; Co-Chair, Advocacy Committee
Boston Chapter, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom