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Who Didn’t Sign
Two weeks ago we asked you to contact your Senators and ask them not to sign the "Dear Colleague" letter being circulated by Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN) and James Risch (R-ID) unless and until the letter was rewritten in a more even-handed manner, and specifically mentioned the President's call for a settlement freeze. The letter rightfully called on Arab leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the peace process with concrete steps toward normalization, but was not complimented by calls to all stakeholders -- including Israel and the Palestinian Authority -- to take similar tangible steps to advance negotiations. When the Bayh/Risch letter closed this past Monday, it had the signatures of 71 senators. But the big story is actually that your Senator(s) is one of the 29 who chose not to sign, and the unprecedented effort that the supporters of Bayh/Risch had to expend to get the signatures of those who did. Please thank your Senator(s) today. Most notable is the fact that seven of the Senate's 13 Jewish members did NOT sign on to Bayh/Risch. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Carl Levin (D-MI), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) share the opinion held by a majority of Jewish Americans that the most pro-Israel stance is one that takes effective steps toward a two-state solution, such as those taken to date by the Obama administration. Significantly, Senator John Kerry (D-MA), the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN), the Committee's Ranking Republican Member also chose not to sign the letter. The Senate's foreign policy leaders understand that Congress must back President Obama's thoughtful and balanced foreign policy. In the past, letters like this have typically been signed rapidly by nearly all senators. Not this time. The letter was originally open for signers until August 5, but by that date only about 35 Senators had signed on -- an embarrassingly small number for its supporters -- so the letter was kept open an additional five days. Brit Tzedek's call for a more balanced letter was heard loud and clear. Nearly one-third of the Senate did not sign in spite of a full-court press to raise the count. In the end, several Senate staffers contacted our DC office to say "thank you" for our much noted grassroots mobilization. Our pro-Israel/pro-peace message made a difference, even for those Senators who reluctantly signed on at the last minute. We at Brit Tzedek want to say "thank you" to our supporters for inundating the Senate with phone calls and making our voices heard on behalf of President Obama's pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
As a Jewish supporter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom and the Obama Administration's diplomatic pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace, I want to thank you for NOT signing the Bayh/Risch letter. I believe firmly that the most pro-Israel action this country can take is to take firm, effective steps to return the parties to a genuine negotiation process, aimed at the establishment of a durable two-state solution. In drafting their letter, Sens. Bayh and Risch failed to take into consideration the fact that all sides will have to make real compromises if peace is to be achieved. I'm proud that both my Senator and my President understand the need for concrete action, and for the first time in many years, I feel that America in on the right path in the Middle East. Thank you for your pro-Israel/pro-peace stance! Sincerely,
*********** 29 Senators who did NOT sign the Bayh/Risch Letter Alexander, Lamar (R-TN)
Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, The Jewish Alliance
for Justice and Peace
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