Advocacy - Does it Make a Difference?
The other day someone in our Ohio Advocacy group posed an interesting question about our legislative advocacy on the Israeli - Palestinian conflict arguing for a Two State Solution and speaking on behalf of the Palestinians. "Does it really make a difference?" he asked. A lot can be said in response to this, but a good place to start is with the polling data on the Middle East conflict which is displayed above.

According to 2006 polling data at the Pew Research Center, the US public is consistently pro-Israel (First box). The Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project demonstrates a strong plurality of opinion in favor of Israel, while support for the Palestinians is consistently in the low teens. In contrast, their polling data indicates significantly higher support for the Palestinians in other countries, and lower support for Israel.(Second box-Mideast Sympathies) For example, France splits the difference with 38% for each side while Great Britain indicates higher support for the Palestinians than for Israel with 29% indicating sympathy for the Palestinians in contrast to 24% for Israel.

Polling numbers like these suggest that it is very difficult to make a case for the Palestinians, for the concern over the growth of settlements, and for the continuing domination of their territory, at least in the United States where much of the Jewish- Israeli power resides. While it is true that various administrations have at least raised concerns over the continuing growth of settlements, they have gotten no results either with the U.S. Congress or the Israeli government. Israel continues to get grants of unconditional financial and military aid, and Israel continues to build settlements and expand their presence in the West Bank. The lack of sympathy for the Palestinians, and strong support for Israel is not by accident. In addition to AIPAC and the broader pro-Israel lobby, there is a whole range of other organizations and operations that work to rally support for Israel, and generally at the expense of the Palestinians.
*Polling Data Bibliography Jodie T. Allen and Alec Tyson, “The U.S. Public’s Pro – Israel History: In Mid East Conflicts, Americans Consistently Side with Israel,” The Pew Research Center Publications, July 19, 2006. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/39/the-us-publics-pro-israel-history

Does it make a difference, our letters, notes and phone calls to Congress arguing the case for a Two - State Solution to the Israeli - Palestinian conflict, and speaking in defense of the dignity, rights and well being of the Palestinians? Clearly, the polling data make a strong case for the need for Congress to hear something other than an exclusive, unequivocal, unapologetic advocacy for Israel only.

Imagine this scenario. You are running for political office, a Congressional seat, for example. In a public forum you express concern for the rights and well being of the Palestinians. In most Congressional districts you would quickly lose a lot of viability as a political candidate. On the other hand, in many Congressional districts, you would be expected as a candidate to demonstrate strong support for the security and well being of Israel. Palestinians are one half of the equation for peace in the Middle East. However, as the data suggests, they are either ignored, forgotten, and/or vilified by the media and in public discourse.

Does it make a difference? This is a critical time in the Middle East conflict, and especially because we now have an administration that is demonstrating a more balanced approach to the key adversaries in the Israeli - Palestinian conflict. President Obama has made a strong endoresement for the realization of the Two State Solution, and he has made it very clear that the growth of Israeli settlements in the West Bank must stop. It is important now for members of Congress to hear another voice speaking on behalf of the Palestinians and of the need to resolve the conflict with the realization of a two - state solution.

A more recent discussion of attitudes and opinons toward Israel and the Palestinians is available at this link.
http://people-press.org/report/482/israel-hamas-conflict This was written in light of the Gaza military action by Israel in Gaza, and the subsequent crisis that has developed there. The date is Jan. 13, 2009.

Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky GAP Organizer
Churches for Middle East Peace - CMEP

Israeli - Palestinian Conflict

Educational Resources

Here are some resources that will assist you in gaining more perspective and insight on this tough issue of the Israeli - Palestinian conflict.

A lot of church people are not aware of CMEP - Churches for Middle East Peace and the work that it does. It is the coalition of Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches that work together on the Middle East crisis. The web site is here http://www.cmep.org/. The office is located in the Methodist Building on Maryland Ave in Washington, D.C. (next to the Supreme Court). Their web page is filled with resources on the Israeli - Palestinian conflict including official documents. It is one of the best resource sites on the web!! A lot of the original documents, treaties, and Congressional letters and statements are available there.

Tikun Olam: Make the World a Better Place by Richard Silverstein http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/ Richard is a liberal Jew living in Seattle who is right in the middle of the Jewish conflict over the Israeli - Palestinian conflict. He can be biting, incisive and highly critical, and he gets it back from the very conservative corners of the Jewish community on questions of Israel. I find his postings very interesting and revealing. He is clearly pro-Israel - pro-peace and is willing to take a position. It is worth reading for the Jewish insider's view that he brings.

J Street http://jstreet.org/
J Street is the relatively new Jewish lobby, organized as an alternative to AIPAC -- the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. It is a good source for getting the perspective of the Jewish pro-Israel - pro peace community. J Street has been dismissed by some in the mainline Jewish community for their positions, and because they are seen as very weak compared to the dominance of AIPAC with a budget close to 40 million dollars. J Street is in the range of 3 million dollars or so. But, they have been very successful thus far at organizing a voice that represents an alternative to AIPAC.

A new book (2009) entitled Transforming America's Israel Lobby: The Limits of Its Power and the Potential for Change, by Dan Fleshler is a very readable overview of the history of the so-called Jewish lobby, and of the need for change, which is represented by J Street and other groups coming along.

Israel Policy Forum http://www.israelpolicyforum.org/
IPF is another excellent resource in the pro - Israel - pro - peace camp. There you can sign up for periodic e mails from M.J. Rosenberg, the IPF policy analyst who once worked for AIPAC. This is an excellent site for gaining some perspective regarding the current politics of US foreign policy and Israel.

These are a few resources that might be helpful for anyone who wants to do some reading on the side. There is even much more that can be shared at a later date. But, this is a good start.

View of Bethlehem and the Lutheran Connection

Two adjacent views of Bethlehem looking our from the top floor of the Star Hotel. This is a short walk from Christmas Lutheran Church and the International Center in Bethlehem--the ICB. The ICB is an international gathering point for peacemakers from around the world who are working to resolve the Israeli - Palestinian conflict, and to stand with the Palestinians who reside in the occupied territory. This is also about 2 miles from the main entrance into Bethlehem--a major checkpoint when going to and from Israel.