Friends Committee on National Legislation - A Quaker Lobby in the Public Interest

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WELCOME TO FCNL'S GREATER MIDDLE EAST DIPLOMACY UPDATE

FOR MARCH 19, 2010

"To put it simply, all key issues in the Middle East… are inextricably linked." Iraq Study Group, December 2006

PETRAEUS ASSERTS ONGOING CONFLICT HARMS U.S. AS FALLOUT CONTINUES OVER ISRAEL'S JERUSALEM HOUSING ANNOUNCEMENT

Gen. David Petraeus told Senate and House hearings this week that ongoing Arab-Israeli hostilities "present distinct challenges" to U.S. interests in the greater Middle East and allow al-Qaeda and other militant groups to mobilize support by exploiting anger at perceived U.S. favoritism for Israel.

In the paragraph in Petraeus' written testimony that has attracted wide attention the head of U.S. Central Command identified "insufficient progress toward a comprehensive Middle East peace" as one of eleven "cross cutting issues" that "serve as major drivers of instability, inter-state tensions, and conflict." [http://action.fcnl.org/r/128160/87507/0 wrote:

The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests in the AOR [Central Command's "area of responsibility"]. Israeli-Palestinian tensions often flare into violence and large-scale armed confrontations. The conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel. Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples in the AOR and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support. The conflict also gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hizballah and Hamas.

Petraeus made similar remarks, minus mention of al-Qaeda, in congressional hearings a year ago, but this year his testimony attracted much more media attention, as it came in the midst of the diplomatic row between the U.S. and Israel over expanding settlement construction in East Jerusalem.

Endangering the U.S. and Regional Peace

Israel's announcement that it was building another 1,600 housing units in an Israeli settlement adjacent to the Palestinian neighborhood of Shu'afat came while Vice President Joe Biden was in Jerusalem to prepare for resumed peace talks. According to Israeli press reports, subsequently denied by U.S. officials, Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu that "This is starting to get dangerous for us. What you're doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That endangers us and it endangers regional peace." [http://action.fcnl.org/r/128161/87507/0]

The repercussions of the incident are still unclear, as the U.S. has demanded that Israel take steps to restore confidence to permit a resumption of peace talks, including cancelling the settlement expansion plan. Israel has reportedly pledged that construction at the site would not begin for two or three years and proposed a "don't ask don't tell" policy under which it would continue building in East Jerusalem but would not announce future expansion projects. The U.S. response to this offer is not yet clear.

Lobby Groups and Congress Jump In

Middle East lobby groups and members of Congress have responded to the settlement announcement and subsequent U.S.-Israel dispute. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) termed statements critical of Israel by Obama administration officials as "a matter of serious concern" and called on the administration to "take immediate steps to defuse the tension with the Jewish State."

The J Street lobby said U.S.-Israeli tensions were a matter of serious concern but described the Obama administration's reaction to the "timing and substance" of the Israeli settlement announcement as "both understandable and appropriate." J Street said, "Preventing provocative actions which undermine the peace process and decisions which weaken U.S. credibility in the region is also a matter of fundamental American national security interest, particularly as the U.S. government works to build a broad international coalition to address the Iranian nuclear program."

Some press reports have created the impression that there is strong congressional opposition to administration criticism of Israel. One headline read "US Israel criticism ignites firestorm in Congress," but the critics have fallen well short of igniting a firestorm and many members, including Jewish members, have been supportive of the administration. Rep. Gary Ackerman (NY), who heads the House foreign affairs Middle East subcommittee said, "It's a moment for the Obama administration to say to our Israeli partners and our Palestinian partners, 'We need to see peace.,' It's a never-let-a-crisis-go-to-waste moment, and this is a mini-crisis, if even that." House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Howard Berman (CA) said the administration had "real justification" to be upset with the timing of the settlement announcement, while Sen. Diane Feinstein (CA) termed Israel's settlement policy "a major stumbling block to serious negotiations" toward a two-state solution "that must

be overcome."

Support the administration's peace efforts by writing to your senators and representative today using the action alert from Churches for Middle East Peace below.

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