American Lawmakers Swarm to Israel During August Recess

By Shirl McArthur

Although the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Israel's Washington, DC lobby, for years has been sponsoring congressional delegations visiting Israel, it outdid itself this past August. AIPAC's "nonprofit educational arm," the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), sponsored a total of 51 members of Congress—including a group of 30 Democrats led by Rep. Steny Hoyer (MD) in early August, and a group of 19 Republicans, led by Reps. Tom Reynolds (NY) and Eric Cantor (VA), in the middle of the month. AIEF shelled out about $5,000 for each participant in the all-expenses-paid visits. The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York also took a group to Israel that included New York Democratic Reps. Eliot Engel, Gregory Meeks and Anthony Weiner.

AIEF also co-sponsored the late July trip to Israel by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL). During that visit DeLay made a widely reported, strongly pro-Israel speech to the Knesset in which he said, among other things, that the Palestinian people's "plight is real; they have been oppressed and abused by a pernicious enemy. But their enemy is not Israel, nor its people, nor its democratic government. Their enemy is Yasser Arafat," DeLay announced. "Israel is not the problem; Israel is the solution."

In addition to the above visits, at least eight members of Congress visited Israel on taxpayer-funded "fact-finding" visits, including the senatorial delegation led by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), which also visited Iraq.

As might be expected, the visitors saw what and whom AIPAC wanted them to see, including the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial, Masada, hospitals, kibbutzim, various Jewish and Christian holy sites, and carefully selected Israeli towns on the border of the West Bank that will be "protected" by the security wall that Israel is building. The Americans also met with various Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Labor Party leader Shimon Peres. The groups met with then-Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, but were not allowed to meet with ordinary Palestinians.

Perhaps many of the visiting lawmakers share the views of Rep. Ed Case (D-HI), who was quoted by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as being not particularly put off by the "uniform" positions taken by the speakers they met, because "AIPAC is sophisticated enough to know that I am sophisticated enough to know that there is more than one side to every story."

Perhaps.

West Bank Wall Continues to Draw Congressional Support

As expected, many members of Congress have been outspoken in supporting the West Bank wall and criticizing the reported State Department plan to penalize Israel for building the wall by deducting an equal amount from the $9 billion in U.S. loan guarantees. Several members of the delegations, including McCain and Hoyer, were quoted by Jewish sources as supporting Israel's building of the wall, although none mentioned the wall's proposed routing. McCain also said that he would oppose penalizing Israel for building it.

In a press release, Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV), who was a member of the Hoyer delegation (the press release claimed she was a co-organizer of the delegation, although this is not mentioned by any other source), strongly supported the wall and expressed "strong concern" over reports that the loan guarantees might be reduced.U.S. aid to Israel, she said, "should be used to help enhance Israeli security, not to dictate policy from Washington." Perhaps not coincidentally, the third-term Berkley is second in lifetime pro-Israel PAC contribution recipients—behind only Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO)—with a career total of $166,355, $66,000 of which she received in 2002.

In addition, Reps. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Henry Waxman (D-CA), in the House, and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), in the Senate, sent letters to President George W. Bush on Aug. 5 supporting the wall and objecting to reducing the loan guarantees. According to the Lowey/Waxman letter, signed by 29 other representatives, the U.S. "involvement in the peace process must always have as a primary objective the preservation of Israel's security and stability," and "the U.S. must never pressure Israel to take a position or action which would jeopardize the security of its citizens." Other signers were Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Berkley, Howard Berman (D-CA), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), Brad Carson (D-OK), Crenshaw, Joe Crowley (D-NY), Peter Deutsch (D-FL), Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), Engel, Martin Frost (D-TX), Jane Harman (D-CA), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Hoyer, Steve Israel (D-NY), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Tom Lantos (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Robert Matsui (D-CA), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Steve Rothman (D-NJ), Max Sandlin (D-TX), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Weiner, and Robert Wexler (D-FL).

Schumer's letter includes the revealing sentence, "By building a security fence in the West Bank, the Israeli government is pursuing a reasonable policy that respects the terms of the cease-fire currently in force and does no violence to the Palestinian people." The letter was also signed by Sens. Kit Bond (R-MO), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Jim Bunning (R-KY), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Trent Lott (R-MS), Gordon Smith (R-OR), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Howard Dean Criticized for Speaking An Obvious Truth

Just as Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va) received scathing criticism earlier this year for publicly pointing out that the American Jewish community was a major force in pushing the U.S. into war on Iraq, Democratic presidential candidate and former Vermont governor Howard Dean took heavy flak from two of his rivals for the Democratic nomination for saying in an early September speech in New Mexico that the U.S. should not "take sides" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that "we all know that enormous numbers of the settlements that are there are going to have to come out."

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (CT) accused Dean of proposing a "major break" from a half-century of U.S. policy of explicitly siding with Israel.Sen. John Kerry (MA) said Dean was proposing "a radical shift in U.S. policy towards the Middle East." Dean clarified his statement by stating the obvious: "Israel has always been a longtime ally with a special relationship with the United States, but if we are going to bargain by being in the middle of negotiations, then we are going to have to take an even-handed role."

This didn't placate Lieberman.During a Sept. 9 debate in Baltimore,the former vice presidential candidate again accused Dean of breaking "a 50-year record in which presidents, Republican and Democrat, members of Congress of both parties, have supported our relationship with Israel based on shared values and common strategic interests." Dean didn't back down, repeating that the U.S. couldn't bring peace to the Middle East without being a "credible negotiator," and accusing Lieberman of demagoging the issue.

Congressional Criticism of Administration's Handling of Iraq Intensifies

All year there has been a relatively muted level of congressional criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the situation in Iraq, especially of the obvious lack of post-combat planning and preparation and the administration's failure to keep Congress adequately informed.The criticism has come not only from such respected Democrats as Sens. Robert Byrd (WV), Ted Kennedy (MA), and Foreign Relations Committee ranking Democrat Joe Biden (DE), but also from such influential and respected Republicans as Sens. Richard Lugar (IN), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Chuck Hagel (NE), the committee's second ranking Republican.

Now, spurred by the continuing reports of problems with the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the looming presidential election and the debates among the Democratic presidential candidates, and Bush's request for an additional $87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan, congressional criticism is heating up. Two days after the president's Sept. 7 speech requesting the additional $87 billion, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) accused Bush on the House floor of failing "to explain to the American people the details on how he is going to change this failing policy." Bush "detailed nothing" about his plans for Iraq, "including his exit strategy," McGovern said, adding that "this is a war that should never have happened." He concluded, "We have had enough deception. This is the time for Congress to do what it failed to do before the war."

Similarly, Rep. Joe Hoeffel (D-PA) took to the floor to demand that Bush tell Congress how long he expects U.S. troops will be needed in Iraq, how much money will be needed, and how many more troops will be needed; how much more time and money will be needed for the reconstruction of Iraq; how quickly we can internationalize the operation; and when will the Iraqis be back in charge of their country.

In the Senate, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) called such a huge sum "a bitter pill for the American people to swallow."Minority Leader Thomas Daschle (D-SD) said "just asking for more money is not a plan." Kennedy announced plans to introduce an amendment that would hold up relief and reconstruction funds until Bush gives Congress a detailed report on its plans for Iraq, including a schedule for the withdrawal of U.S. and foreign troops and a definition of success.

During the debates among the Democratic presidential candidates, all strongly condemned Bush's Iraq policies, or lack of same. Kerry questioned how involved Bush was in the decisions leading to war. Sen. Bob Graham (FL) accused Bush of deliberately misleading the American people.Lieberman said the direction Bush was leading the country "makes me sick." Gephardt went beyond Iraq and called Bush's whole foreign policy "a miserable failure."There was also some criticism of the four candidates—John Edwards (SC), Gephardt, Kerry, and Lieberman—who had voted for the resolution authorizing the war.Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH) singled out Gephardt for standing with Bush in the Rose Garden at the resolution's signing ceremony.

In the end, however, all candidates agreed that Bush will probably get the $87 billion.Only Kucinich specifically said that he will vote against the request.

Major Middle-East Related Bills Languishing

Largely due to the August recess, there has been little movement on any of the previously described major bills affecting the Middle East. The Senate still has not passed its version of the Foreign Relations Authorization bill, or the appropriations bills for foreign aid or the Commerce, Justice and State Departments. The Defense Department appropriations bill, which has been passed by both houses, is still stuck in conference.Similarly, there has been no further action on the "Israeli-Palestinian Peace Enhancement Act" or "Iran Democracy Act," although the Israeli-Palestinian bill has been inserted into the Foreign Relations Authorization bill, as has a much pared-down version of the Iran Democracy bill.

H.R. 1828, the House version of the "Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act," which aims to "hold Syria accountable for the serious international security problems it has caused in the Middle East," and which was described in detail in the June issue of this magazine, has gained five new co-sponsors, for a total of 259. They are Reps. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Meeks, Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Adam Smith (D-WA), and Jim Ryun (R-KS). The companion bill, S. 982, has gained no new co-sponsors in the Senate and still has 72. Clearly the bill has enough support to pass both houses, but it's being held up by opposition from the White House, which doesn't like bills that tie the president's hands.

Anti-Bigotry Resolution Advances

H.Res. 234, "condemning bigotry and violence against Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, South-Asian Americans and Sikh Americans," finally was reported out of the House Judiciary Committee Sept. 3, buthas not been brought up in the full House. The Senate version, S.Res. 133, was passed on May 22.H.Res. 234 has gained 16 new co-sponsors, for a total of 51. Although the resolution contains no enforcement mechanism, it does call upon local, state, and federal law enforcement authorities to "work to prevent" and "investigate and prosecute vigorously" bias-motivated crimes against all Americans, including those named in the title.

New co-sponsors since those named in the previous issues of this magazine are Reps. BradCarson, Julia Carson (D-IN), Crowley, Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Jay Inslee (D-WA), Israel, Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Jim Matheson (D-UT), Gary Miller (R-CA), Ed Pastor (D-AZ), Sanders, David Scott (D-GA), Mel Watt (D-NC), and Waxman.

Dueling Resolutions Slowly Moving

H.Con.Res. 111, the resolution expressing sympathy for the death in Rafah of Rachel Corrie, who was murdered by the Israeli army in Palestine, has picked up two new co-sponsors, Reps. John Conyers (D-MI) and Rush Holt (D-NJ), for a total of 49.

Meanwhile, even though Lantos managed to get H.Con.Res. 119, his competing bill condemning Palestinian attacks on "U.S. citizens," inserted into the Foreign Relations Authorization bill, as reported in the previous issue of the magazine, H.Con.Res. 119 has 23 new co-sponsors, for a total of 74.They are Reps. Joe Barton (R-TX), Bob Beauprez (R-CO), Berman, Kevin Brady (R-TX), Chris Cannon (R-UT), John Carter (R-TX), DeMint, Deutsch, John Doolittle (R-CA), Tom Feeney (R-FL), Randy Forbes (R-VA), Ernest Istook (R-OK), Charlie Norwood (R-GA), Butch Otter (R-ID), Major Owens (D-NY), Paul Ryan (R-WI), Edward Schrock (R-VA), Pete Sessions (R-TX), John Shimkus (R-IL), Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), David Vitter (R-LA), and Weldon.

Shirl McArthur, a retired foreign service officer, is a consultant in the Washington, DC area.