Lantos Succeeds in Pushing For a Biased Annapolis
Thu, 6 Dec 2007 16:55:41 -0500 (EST)
From: "Council for the National Interest Foundation"
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Subject: Action Alert Update: Lantos Succeeds in pushing for a biased Annapolis
Despite our telephone call-in campaign demanding a fair and balanced witness list at the public hearing entitled "After Annapolis: Next Steps in the Middle East Peace Process," no changes were made. It seems that the present Congress is more out of touch than ever.
Yesterday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a lengthy hearing on the consequences of the Annapolis Conference, which was convened on November 26. The opening statements by Chairman Tom Lantos (D-CA) and ranking minority member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) were even more biased than the testimonies given by the panel of two well-known pro-Israeli supporters Dennis Ross and David Wurmser. Representative Gary Ackerman (D-NY) was an exception, saying of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad: "These men are partners for peace."
In his opening remarks, Lantos praised Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, urged against demands for a timetable, and stated his concerns over anti-Israeli themes from the West Bank in the weeks after Annapolis. Ros-Lehtinen was also pessimistic about the outcome of the conference. She commented "Abbas…has taken few steps inducive to peace," and her remarks perpetuated the notion that Abbas's Fatah party is a "terrorist" organization.
Most shocking were the comments of Representative Mike Pence (R-IN), who stressed that our primary objective should be the security of a Jewish state of Israel and questioned whether or not cooperating in the foundation of a Palestinian state supports that objective.
The first witness was Ambassador Dennis Ross of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the research arm of AIPAC. Surprisingly, his testimony was far more balanced than expected. The problem faced by the U.S. in moderating agreements, he said, is that there "isn't a single obligation looked at the same way by both sides…each side defines their obligation minimally and the other sides' maximally." Ross laid out three components for a better U.S. strategy. First, he recommended the re-establishment of ties between Israeli and Palestinian security forces. Beginning locally with major checkpoints, joint security teams would not only provide protection for Israeli and Palestinian citizens, but also act as a catalyst for reform within the Palestinian security forces. Second, with each step toward resolution taken by Israel, the U.S. should urge Arab neighbors to normalize their relations with Israel. Finally, Ross advocated an increase in aid to Palestinians. While government aid is essential, the U.S. could be doing more to encourage investment and job creation. The participation of Arab nations in the conference, he added, illustrates growing support for the peace process as well as a strong stance against Iran's nuclear ambitions.
David Wurmser of Delphi Global Analysis Group, in contrast, offered extremely biased and hostile testimony. Without laying out any recommendations, he rhetorically spoke of Israeli concessions, the lack of formal recognition of Israel by Arab states, an increase in European anti-Semitism and "Palestinian embracing the trend of extremism." Gaza, he said, had become a dangerous terrorist mini-state. He compared Gaza to the Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon and warned that any Israeli concessions would lead to another crisis like last summer's war.
Despite the apparent balance in Ross' comments, reactions and questions from the Representatives signaled little change in the Committee's biased mindset. Rather than focusing on recommendations and Congress's ability to require more from the State Department, questions diverted attention to Iran's influence and the importance of Israel remaining a Jewish state. On the latter, Ross said that without the protection of Israel's Jewish identity, a two-state solution risks becoming one part Arab state and one part multinational state.
Next Wednesday, the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia will hold a hearing investigating change in aid to the Palestinian Occupied Territories.
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