Thank you to each of the 120 people who came to Washington and took part in the Middle East track at Ecumenical Advocacy Days.  Most of those hearty folk did advocacy meetings on Monday with the foreign policy legislative assistants of their Senators and Representative on two topics: support for US aid to the Palestinians and bringing attention to the problems that Israel’s building of a separation barrier between East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank causes for Bethlehem, Jerusalem and the possibility of a two-state solution.

Now it’s time for CMEP’s grassroots advocates across the country to build on those lobby meetings with your own.  I hope that many of you were able to make appointments to meet with your elected officials while they are home in the district/state from March 19 to April 3. Their staff in Washington will be less busy during these next two weeks of recess and better able to give attention to your call or email message.

There are varying views on what is the most effective format for constituent advocacy.  Certainly meetings with the member, or staff, in their Washington or local offices is best. Some Legislative aides tell us that a handwritten, and concise, letter is effective if the time delay – of up to two weeks – is not a problem. Calling the office and talking to, or leaving a voice mail message for, the Legislative Assistant is useful, if the call is kept short and to the point. Email is becoming the preferred choice for many. When you talk to the foreign policy Legislative Assistant, ask for his/her email address. Otherwise use the email address for the office. You can find contact information and can write an email note to your representative at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm for the Senate and http://www.house.gov/writerep/ for the House.  The Capitol switchboard (House – 202-225-3121; Senate – 202-224-3121) will connect you with any House or Senate office. 

CMEP staff and Board members were doing Hill Visits this morning with new members of the House International Relations Committee, making the same points that we suggest here for your advocacy.

SUPPORT U.S. AID TO THE PALESTINIANS:  

Background: Your top priority should be directed toward your two senators. The Senate Appropriations Committee will take up the emergency supplemental bill when they return, on April 4, from recess.  The President has requested that “the supplemental” include funds for emergency aid for economic and infrastructure assistance for the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. More information on the supplemental was in the March 7 message to the CMEP email network. 

The political importance of this aid was made clear when the President spoke about providing $350 million in aid to the Palestinians in his State of the Union address. ($200 million in the supplemental and $150 million in the FY2006 budget, which is also under consideration by Congress.) Nevertheless, last week the House Appropriations Committee continued to focus on criticizing Arafat and added conditions and restrictions that will delay the aid and limit the Administration’s diplomatic options by removing the President’s authority to waive laws, in the interest of national security, that prohibit direct aid to the Palestinian Authority. The supplemental bill was passed by the House on Wednesday March 16. There is a good chance that the Senate will not include such onerous conditions in their version of the supplemental. (After that, a conference committee will iron out all differences between the two bills.) Ori Nir provides excellent reporting on the convoluted politics and seamy politics involved in the House Appropriations Committee action in an article in today’s issue of the Forward (an historic New York Jewish weekly newspaper) which can be found at: http://www.forward.com/articles/2826

Talking points:

1. It is widely agreed that the present time is a new era of unprecedented opportunity for a significant breakthrough in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

2. The Palestinian election of President Mahmoud Abbas was rightly commended by Congress as a positive step toward a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The next step for Congress is to signal its support for a renewed American engagement in efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by providing aid to the Palestinians. 

3. The Palestinian people need relief now from their current humanitarian and economic situation of crisis and despair if they are to have hope that a political resolution of the conflict is possible. “Today in Gaza, 60 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day; 40 percent in the West Bank live on less than $2 a day.” (Dennis Ross’s testimony to the House International Relations Committee on Feb. 10)

4. The Senate should expedite the delivery of the aid and not place burdensome restrictions and conditions on the aid or the President’s diplomatic options. Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield has testified that past aid was characterized by complete transparency and accountability.

5. Some of that aid should be provided to the Palestinian Authority or, at least, the President should have the authority to waive the existing laws that prohibit such direct aid.

SUPPORT U.S. POLICY THAT THE STATUS OF JERUSALEM IS TO BE DETERMINED BY FINAL STATUS NEGOTIATIONS, AND THAT THE ROUTE OF THE BARRIER MUST NOT PREJUDGE THOSE NEGOTIATIONS.

Bethlehem’s Mayor Hanna Nasser faxed a letter to CMEP about the catastrophic effects the barrier is having on Bethlehem. His letter is a helpful tool for our advocacy and a good reminder to Congress that there are Christian Palestinians, and they have ties to Christians in the United States. CMEP suggests that you write a brief cover note to your Representative and Senators bringing their attention to the problems that the barrier is having on the Palestinian Christian community and asking “Will you back the Administration’s request that the barrier’s route not prejudge negotiations on the final-status issues including the status of Jerusalem?”

Since this is an on-going issue you can mail your note, along with the CMEP memo and Mayor Nasser’s letter (links provided below), to the Senators’ and Representative’s Washington or local office.  Additionally, it would be helpful if you urged your Members of Congress to meet with Palestinian Christian leaders if/when they visit the Middle East, and suggest they contact Churches for Middle East Peace for assistance and contact information. Jerusalem related issues are covered in the March issue of CMEP’s newsletter which was sent to the network on March 4.   

CONGRESSIONAL MEMO ON BETHLEHEM, JERUSALEM AND THE BARRIER.

LETTER TO CMEP FROM BETHLEHEM MAYOR, HANNA NASSER