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Background:
In mind-March 55 Middle
East peace-building NGOs came to Washington as part of the annual
conference of the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP).
These organizations are engaged in promoting people-to-people coexistence,
cooperation, and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians across
borders and Arabs and Jews within Israel. Their activities include
peace education, reconciliation programs, inter-religious dialogue, joint
schools and sports, community development, business cooperation, joint
medical projects, and shared environmental initiatives. The
NGOs held meetings on Capitol Hill, at the Administration and foreign
embassies, and with advocacy organizations, including CMEP, to mobilize
support for their efforts.
Last year Congress created a new U.S. grant program with $9 million to
support coexistence programs. As Congressional appropriators
consider spending for FY 2009 foreign operations, both Representatives and
Senators are urging support for increased funding. See details
below.
Senate Letter
On March 14th CMEP issued an action alert on the Crowley-Moran
House letter in support of Middle East peace and cooperation funding.
Twenty-eight Representatives signed on to this letter! View the full list
below. Now, there is a similar letter circulating in the Senate led by
Senators Sununu (R-NH) and Biden (D-DE). The letter closes this Friday,
April 4th.
Contact your Senators today and ask them to sign the Biden-Sununu Letter
in
support of $11 million in funding for grassroots peace activities in the
Middle East.
Your Message: People-to-people activities together with a robust political
process supported by the United States can help move forward on the
promise of peace made in Annapolis. The achievement of a negotiated peace
agreement and its implementation will require steadfast American
commitment and the support of both the Israeli and Palestinian publics.
Link to Biden- Sununu
Senate Letter
House Letter
On March 14th CMEP issued an
action alert on the Crowley-Moran
House letter in support of Middle East peace and cooperation funding. The
letter closed on March 17th with twenty-eight Representatives signed on.
View the full list below.
Link to Final Crowley-Moran House
Letter
Signers: (28)
James Moran (D-VA)
Joseph Crowley (D-NY
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Howard Berman (D-CA)
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU)
Lois Capps (D-CA)
John Conyers (D-MI)
Keith Ellison (DFL-MN)
Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Darrell Issa (R-CA)
Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX)
William Jefferson (D-LA)
John Lewis (D-GA)
Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Michael Michaud (D-ME)
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Dennis Moore (D-KS)
David Price (D-NC)
Nick Rahall (D-WV)
Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)
Betty Sutton (D-OH)
Mark Udall (D-CO)
Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Peter Welch (D-VT)
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