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August 13 , 2001 Vol. 3, No. 25 This Week in New York… For more information, contact Benita Gayle-Almeleh, Director of Community Relations and Special Projects at bga@thejcpa.org STANDING TOGETHER -- SOLIDARITY RALLY WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL HAVE YOU MADE PLANS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY TO BE REPRESENTED?! Communities large and small across the country are making plans to travel to New York City to join thousands of other pro-Israel activists in sending a message of support. Meet us at "Standing Together" – Solidarity Rally with the People of Israel will take place Sunday, September 23rd at 1 p.m. along Second Avenue, beginning at 47th Street, in Manhattan. JCPA is a cosponsor of the rally, and is working with member agencies across the country to bring delegations of Israel activists to New York to stand in solidarity. We’ll bring you program updates when information is available. Contact the JCPA today to learn what your community can do!
Got a question about the Rally? Call the Rally Hotline at 212-983-4800, ext. 160. Solidarity Now! Tip of the Week: How will you find friends and family in the sea of thousands? Ideas from communities include wearing bright bandanas and designing special Rally T-shirts. And dig that banner out of mothballs! A word to those planning on carrying banners: sticks/poles of any kind will not be permitted by the NYC Police Department. Please bear this in mind as you make preparations!
This Week in Washington... Contact Reva Price, JCPA Washington Representative, at rprice@thejcpa.org
Recess Means Work! The Foreign Aid Appropriations bill for fiscal 2002 will be near the top of the agenda when the Senate reconvenes in September. Senators Mitch McConnell (KY) and Dianne Feinstein (CA) plan to offer an amendment to the legislation which would levy sanctions on the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority for failure to comply with commitments to renounce terrorism and end the violence. The House version of the bill already contains similar provisions under the name the Middle East Peace Commitments Act, which provides the President with specific sanctions to impose if the Palestinian leadership is deemed to be noncompliant with commitments made to Israel over the past eight years. The sanctions would include downgrading the Palestinian information office in the US, designating the PLO and its constituent groups as foreign terrorist organizations, and restricting non-humanitarian assistance to the West Bank and Gaza. JCPA member agencies are urged to contact Senators to urge that they become co-sponsors of the McConnell/Feinstein amendment.
US, Israeli Participation? Negotiators working in Geneva for the past two weeks on language of documents for consideration at this month’s World Conference Against Racism adjourned Friday, having only partially completed their work. Approximately 60% of the documents are finished, leaving the disputes over how to address the past, how to identify victims and the Middle East at a stalemate. The US made it clear during the negotiations that if language proposed by Arab and Islamic countries condemning Israel and Jews remained in the document, America would not participate in the conference. While private negotiations may continue right up until the conference, the sticking point of the offensive language makes it unclear how the US will proceed. Israeli diplomats departed the conference last week saying they will need to re-evaluate whether or not they should participate as well. Look for future JCPA e-mail memoranda, including on-site reporting from Durban by Reva Price, to stay current on this issue. on this topic, we will update you as information unfolds.
Calling all Jewish State Legislators! The CRC in San Antonio is hosting a reception for the National Association of Jewish State Legislators on Tuesday, August 14th, 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm, in Room 204B of the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, where the National Conference of State Legislators is holding its annual meeting
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