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.
